Fall 2012

2012 Fall Festival

Amberations’ annual Fall Festival is growing in popularity every year. We continually find new ways to make this event more fun. In addition to our great music, incredible edibles, games, duck race, treasure hunt, face painting, hiking trails and animals, this year we will host a Pumpkin Decorating Contest. To enter, bring your already decorated pumpkin between the hours of 1 and 2. Be as creative as possible, no restrictions apply.

Our panel of judges will decide the winners and prizes will be awarded. There will be a small entry fee of $1.00 for this contest, admission to the festival is free. Guided tours of our grounds will be available upon request.

If you plan to explore remember to wear appropriate footwear, this is a rain or shine event. Our site covers 50 acres and the fun lasts all day. Show your support for Amberations and join us Sunday, September 30th from 1 - 5.

Dog Lovers, Unite!

As many of you have discovered our upper field area is a great place for dogs to run. We are happy to see so many happy, fuzzy faces. Please be very cautious at the barn area with your canine friends. Joe, our donkey, is very protective of his sheep. If a dog gets into Joe’s area he may seriously injure it. That factor, along with the assortment of birds and cats at the barn, suggest that dogs may be better leashed in that area.

There are two entrances to Amberations grounds: the upper field area is accessed via the long steep driveway at 2345 Amber Road while the barn is set back next to the Community Center (Adjacent to 2223 Amber Road). A trail runs through the woods from the barn to the upper fields for which there are maps in the barn. Visitors are always welcome, first time guests are encouraged to call for a guided tour.

Thanks

Thanks to the hard work of Marcellus 7th and 8th graders and B.I.K.E.S. (Bicycles and Ideas for Kids Empowerment) participants and volunteers from Syracuse, there were many improvements to our grounds this year. Joe and the sheep have more room to roam as we were able to expand their fenced area (thank you Kelly for the fence). A lot of effort went into digging the holes for the new fence posts. It looks great and the animals appreciate it.

In the upper field area 7th and 8th graders from Marcellus set black locust posts and netting around a large area for our heirloom garden.

We could have used a few more volunteers for weeding over the summer months but managed to harvest an assortment of fruits, vegetables and seeds; seeds being our primary focus.

Our pumpkin chili at the Fall Festival will contain our very own pumpkins. We plan to reinforce the netting around the gardens before next year’s planting and expect an even more bountiful crop in 2013.

Not to be forgotten, a diligent group of Marcellus students continued with the endless trail improvement project. Thank you all for keeping us growing.

Congratulations to our 2012 Bike Race Winners

1st Place: Tom Forte

2nd Place: Cliff Six

3rd Place: Gregory Six

As always it was a fun time.

Nature’s Flat Screen

As you hike the trail to the upper fields enjoy our first in what will hopefully be a series of art installations.

Highlighting some of the adjacent properties and their accumulations of treasures while shedding a new perspective on the view was the purpose of this whimsical hanging frame.

Barb Root was winner of the “Name the Frame” contest held during our bike race. Thanks Barb, great title.

Music

Amberations is fortunate to have some of the area’s finest musicians supporting our cause.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the members of The Salt Potatoes, Bob Lyna & Friends, and The Kambuyu Marimba Ensemble for continually making our Fall Festival such a success. You guys are great!!!

Gazebo Project

The Gazebo is currently under construction in the upper fields. We are looking for help/ideas for the roof. Let us know what you think.

RYLA Benches

Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is an international program that was created by Rotary International to encourage strong leadership in youth.

Young people chosen for their leadership potential attend an all expense paid camp to develop and enhance leadership skills through activities conducted in an atmosphere of trust and respect. As part of the program teams of participants create service projects which are then donated to a local charitable organization.

This year Amberations was fortunate to have been chosen as the recipient of these projects: ten beautiful and sturdy benches that are now dispersed along our grounds.

Each bench has a plaque recognizing RYLA. Thank you Rotary International and all the participants in this year’s event (look closely and you may see their names carved in the wood).

The Concept/The List

Amberations was always intended to be an interactive site full of opportunities. Gardens were to be communally tended and the harvests shared, artwork created at the whim of visitors (within reason), animals to be cared for by folks unable to have any of their own.

While we are continually getting more and more visitors; we are finding that as a destination people really want to just enjoy our site. That is fine, we have always been a work in transition, we just need to alter our goals a bit. We are ecstatic to see so many new faces visiting but we do need help.

Following are some suggestions for ways you might assist, tasks vary from minutes to hours to days.

If, like so many, you have no time to spare, please consider making a contribution, buying some post cards, or coming and supporting our Fall Festival.

Ways to Help

Animal care: Once a week/once a month/even just once
Raking/weeding/sweeping: Tools available at barn, basically make it look nice
Trails: Always in need of raking, edging and general improvements
Networking: Bring a friend, invite an organization
Carpentry: Finish our boardwalk
Advanced carpentry: Install a solar panel at the barn
Fencing: Extend the animal’s fence: dig post holes, set new posts, attach netting
Hard labor: Continue with hauling rocks to fill in Joe’s pasture path
Gardening: Help plant/weed/harvest
Fund raisers: Help before, during or after our events
Capital improvements: Help find grants or funding for making our paths wheelchair accessible
Dream realization: Orchestrate a summer camp, day recreation program or collaboration with existing service organization. Build a pond, dig a well, plant a willow tunnel.