The Genesee Valley Great Outdoors Fest
*The event has already taken place on this date: Sun, 09/21/2025
Please help us keep this calendar up to date! If this activity is sold out, canceled, or otherwise needs alteration, email mindy@kidsoutandabout.com so we can update it immediately. If you have a question about the activity itself, please contact the organization administrator listed below.
Lumberjack Competition & Demos!
Join us on Saturday for an amazing athletic tournament on our Great Meadow! See professional lumberjacks and lumberjills throwing axes, rolling logs, and showcasing historical forestry practices. Real lumberjack professionals, real competitions, real stakes!
Guests who join us on Sunday will see professional athletes and students from local colleges demo and hone their skills for their next meet. Watch them use historic and modern day tools to chop, cut, and saw their way to victory!
Plus, on Sunday watch professional arborist Beech Wayland as he chainsaw carves, live on the great meadow!
We have a Nature Center, too!
From meet and greets with our critters to intimate hikes through our 5+ miles of trails – our Nature Center has something for everyone!
Join us for pond dipping and see if you can find the queen in our new observation beehive! Then, hike out with one of our naturalists to harvest your own maple sapling to take home.
Community Partners
Your backyard is more fascinating than you think! During our Great Outdoors event we are bringing together organizations to showcase the Genesee Valley and the wonders you can find in your very own yard.
Each day from 11:30-2:30, meet with live animal ambassadors from REPCO Wildlife and make your own seed ball to start your very own pollinator garden with our friends from the Seneca Park Zoo!
Saturday
- Visit with representatives from the DEC Hunters as well as Monroe County Soil and Water showcasing how to both stay safe and create safe spaces for others in nature.
- Join naturalists from Letchworth State Park to learn about the “Lives of the Genesee Valley Greenway” from rails to trails inside our Nature Center.
Sunday
- Leon Briggs (Tonawanda Seneca, Hawk Clan) and Tonia Loran-Galban (Akwesasne Mohawk, Bear Clan) will be sharing Indigenous history through lecture and storytelling.
- Alyssa Rodriguez [Flower City Fiddle] will be performing 11:30am & 1:00pm on the fiddle and nyckelharpa showcasing music influences from Ireland and Scandinavia.
- Catch a special talk by Letchworth State Park’s educator, Conrad Baker as he delves into the “Folklore, Truth, Lies, and Traditions” of the Genesee Valley.
The History of our Backyard
Our 19th century village is brimming with important historical landmarks and accomplishments shaping the way we see the outdoors today! From the completion of the Erie Canal to the boom of the bicyclist, there is so much to learn and explore.
- Head to Jones Farmhouse to partake in an heirloom veggie tasting and learn about coffee substitutes.
- In the Livingston-Backus kitchens our costumed historic cooks will be diving into isinglass and cochineals.
- Make a map of your own backyard at the Land Office and learn about surveying techniques.
- Hear a reading of the storybook “Bicycle Face” and see a female biking outfit in our Town Hall.
- Try your hand at historic outdoor games at Thomson Tavern and take our “phones off” challenge at the Toll House!
- On Saturday catch the Ladies historic base ball game at 1pm and on Sunday, the Men’s team play a double-header at 11am & 1pm!
- Saturday only, head to the Apple Orchard in front of Jones Farm to meet with Johnny Appleseed, learn about our state fruit, and try a sample of local WNY apples!
Walt Whitman's Natural World
Join historian and educator Gerry as he delves into the history, art, and influence of Walt Whitman (1819-1892). Whitman’s poems and voice helped shape and inspire countless – described as America’s “Poet of the People”.
Saturday Gerry will be performing some of Whitman’s more famous poems in our Nature Center and on Sunday, guests can find Gerry in our John L. Wehle Gallery for a special talk on how Whitman became a creative influence on his artistic life.
*Times, dates, and prices of any activity posted to our calendars are subject to change. Please be sure to click through directly to the organization’s website to verify.