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<p>DRUMS &#8212; Northeastern Pennsylvania winters can be quite long and harsh, and many residents might not want to venture outside too much.</p><p>But the people who run Nescopeck State Park are trying to encourage both adults and children to get off the couch and get some fresh air and physical activity &#8212; even if the calendar says it&#8217;s February.</p><p>The park held its annual Winter Fest, a free event, on Saturday, featuring outdoor games, a guided hike, an ice-fishing demonstration, a chance to see a sled-dog team from Howlin&#8217; Huskies Kennel in Perkasie, and a presentation on the history of ice harvesting.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a family event &#8212; try to get people out and about in the winter and get exercising a little bit and get out of the house,&#8221; said Diane Madl, an environmental education specialist with the park and organizer of the fest.</p><p>The outdoor games were meant to &#8220;encourage that appreciation for the natural even in the wintertime,&#8221; said Megan Prynn, a volunteer with the Penn State Extension who helped lead the activities.</p><p>Children could build a snowman using various items, such as pine cones, a Frisbee, and balls. And one of the day&#8217;s most popular games taught children about different types of bird seeds and birds. Sue Schiener, a retired teacher and volunteer with park, said it was nice to see kids getting excited about the activities and getting some environmental education at the same time.</p><p>&#8220;For me, it was watching the kids take off with the games,&#8221; she said, referring to her favorite part of the event. &#8220;It was pretty powerful.&#8221;</p><p>An indoor activity that also seemed popular with children was mural painting led by Jan Lokuta. &#8220;Don&#8217;t make it perfect,&#8221; he told 12-year-old Allie Putrick as he instructed her on stippling, a painting technique which involves using a brush to make numerous small dots or specks on a surface. Putrick, a resident of the Harwood section of Hazle Township, was excited about the mural, which depicted a winter scene near Harveys Lake. &#8220;It&#8217;s awesome,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Lokuta is is a lawyer by trade, but has been volunteering with children&#8217;s art projects at various community events for the past eight years. He said he got involved &#8220;out of sheer desperation&#8221; when he noticed there wasn&#8217;t a great deal for children to do at some local festivals.</p><p>There was not enough snow Saturday for the park to have a snowshoeing station, but a table with the appropriate equipment was available for visitors to stop by and ask questions if they desired. If there&#8217;s at least 6 inches of snow on the ground next week, the park will host a snowshoe hike in collaboration with the Greater Wyoming Valley Audubon Society. For now, it&#8217;s scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 10, at 1 p.m.</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_TTL020418Winterfest1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Bryan and his father Doug Heitz of Howlin&#8217; Huskies Kennel drive a dog sled through Nescopeck State Park in Drums during a Winterfest event Saturday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_TTL020418Winterfest1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Bryan and his father Doug Heitz of Howlin&#8217; Huskies Kennel drive a dog sled through Nescopeck State Park in Drums during a Winterfest event Saturday. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_TTL020418Winterfest3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Wayne Muffley sweeps after his daughter, Kayla, 8, threw a milk jug during a curling game at the Nescopeck State Park Winterfest event Saturday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_TTL020418Winterfest3.jpg</photo1><caption1>Wayne Muffley sweeps after his daughter, Kayla, 8, threw a milk jug during a curling game at the Nescopeck State Park Winterfest event Saturday. </caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_TTL020418Winterfest2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Katelyn Myers, 8, looks to her mom for help while trying to use a sled and two stakes to maneuver on the ice during Saturday&#8217;s Winterfest at Nescopeck State Park. The park is located between Drums and White Haven. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_TTL020418Winterfest2.jpg</photo2><caption2>Katelyn Myers, 8, looks to her mom for help while trying to use a sled and two stakes to maneuver on the ice during Saturday&#8217;s Winterfest at Nescopeck State Park. The park is located between Drums and White Haven. </caption2><photoCredit2>Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Kulsoom Khan</p><p>kkhan@www.timesleader.com </p></bylineMeta></div>

Who cares if it’s cold! Nescopeck State Park offers fun time at Winterfest