Celebrate writer Zane Grey at 17th annual festival in Lackawaxen

Peter Becker, Tri-County Independent
·2 min read
Young visitors learning about the importance of the Delaware River Watershed at the 16th Zane Grey Festival in Lackawaxen, PA.
Young visitors learning about the importance of the Delaware River Watershed at the 16th Zane Grey Festival in Lackawaxen, PA.

Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River and the Zane Grey's West Society will host the 17th Annual Zane Grey Festival, Saturday, July 15.  The free festival will be held on the grounds of Zane Grey Museum in Lackawaxen, Pike County, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Zane Grey Festival is geared towards fun for the entire family with many activities and events for children and adults throughout the day including:

⦁ Bill Streeter of the Delaware Valley Raptor Center will present a live birds of prey program from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.⦁ Brookvalley Farms will be offering horse-drawn wagon rides from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.⦁ Adam Swartz, professional puppeteer, will present a Children’s Puppet Show from 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.⦁ Rosanne Vrugtman, President of Zane Grey’s West Society will present "Legend & Legacy, the Life of Zane Grey" from 12:30 to 1:05 p.m..⦁ Adam DePaul, Tribal Council Member and Story Keeper of the Lenape of Pennsylvania, will present "The Past and Present of the Lenape in Pennsylvania" from 1:15 to 1:45 p.m.⦁ Local musician Dan Engvaldsen will perform folk music from 2 to 3:30 p.m.⦁ The National Parks Conservation Association will hold interactive water table demonstrations from 11:30 to 11:45 a.m. and 1:30 to 1:45 p.m.Ongoing throughout the day, staff from Steamtown National Historic Site will demonstrate the "Ring of Fire" and the state of Pennsylvania will host its interactive WoodMobile. There will be craft activities available for children of all ages, a children's scavenger hunt, primitive skills demonstrations, weaving demonstrations, and free popcorn courtesy of the Honesdale National Bank.

Zane Grey's legacy of literature and sportsmanship lives on in Lackawaxen, on the Upper Delaware. Zane Grey (1872-1939) was a dentist but became famous for writing novels about America's Old West. His writing was inspired by his trips out west. He resided at Lackawaxen from 1905 to 1918, where his home was right across the road from the Delaware River. He continued to visit here.

The National Park Service maintains exhibits about Zane Grey's life and legacy in his former home. Visit the new Little Free Library on the grounds.

Tubby’s Concessions will be grilling hamburgers, hotdogs, cheese steaks, funnel cakes, ice cold drinks and more.

For more information call 570-685-4871 or email upde_interpretation@nps.gov. Learn more about Zane Grey at nps.gov/upde/learn/historyculture/zanegrey.htm.

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: 17th Annual Zane Grey Festival set for July 15 in Lackawaxen