Snowshoeing, quilt show at Catamount Lodge for Colton Winterfest Saturday and Sunday

COLTON -- Catamount Lodge & Forest hosts outdoor and indoor activities at Colton Winterfest Saturday and Sunday, January 29-30, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days.

Outdoor activities include recreational snowshoeing on marked and groomed Catamount trails which also accommodate cross-country skiing. Trails on the property, open year-round to the public during daylight hours, provide a great opportunity for adults and kids alike to enjoy the outdoors and explore the forest while trekking the flat terrain as well as gently rolling to moderate hills that lead to Carry Falls Reservoir. The Physical Education department at Colton-Pierrepont Central School (CPCS) once again is making snowshoes available to owners Ruth and Joe McWilliams so anyone can participate. If equipment and/or help are needed visitors should stop by the Lodge to sign out and fit a pair of snowshoes as well as practice in the Lodge parking area before heading out on trails.

Catamount Lodge is a venue for Colton’s annual quilt show which is one of the largest in the area. This year local quilter Patty Blickwedehl and her creations will be featured at Catamount where a number of nature-inspired wall quilts made by her are permanently displayed. Visitors who want to meet and talk with Patty should plan to visit Catamount on Saturday. During the weekend quilts also can be viewed at the Hepburn Library, Town Hall, and Zion Episcopal Church on Main Street in the hamlet of Colton.

Inside Catamount Lodge visitors can get hot drinks and snacks provided by the CPCS Student Government for a donation. Catamount-branded furniture and other products made from wood harvested on the property will be available to purchase and order. And information will be available about Raquette River Blueway Corridor efforts involving Catamount given its proximity to Carry Falls Reservoir which is part of the Raquette River. Anyone who becomes a Friend of the Raquette River Corridor for $10 will receive the 2011 Commemorative Raquette River Calendar which includes pictures taken by Colton residents and others. A limited supply of membership forms and calendars will be available at the Lodge during the weekend.

Much more is happening throughout the Town of Colton during Winterfest weekend. Schedules will be available at Catamount Lodge and other locations, and online at NorthCountryNow.com. Participants are asked to help restock the shelves of local food banks by donating non-perishable foods at CPCS and at post offices in Colton and South Colton.

Catamount Lodge is nine miles south of South Colton on State Highway 56 just inside the Adirondack Park. Visitors should look for a Winterfest sign at the entrance to Catamount Lodge, on the left when driving south on Rt 56 toward Rt 3.

A map of the area and more information about the property is available on the Catamount website (www.catamountlodge.com).