SAUGUS — Wet, rainy weather could do nothing to dampen the annual Fall Family Festival at Breakheart Reservation Saturday, as dozens turned out for a petting zoo, lawn games, and Tai Chi with state Rep. Donald Wong (R-Saugus).
The event was organized by the Department of Conservation and Recreation as well as Friends of Breakheart Reservation, the Saugus Cultural Council, and Saugus Action Volunteers for the Environment (SAVE). Each organization sponsored different activities at the festival, an annual tradition in the town.
SAVE Co-President Ann Devlin said her organization sponsored three activities at the festival, highlighted by “Owls: Silent Hunters of the Night,” which gave those in attendance the opportunity to get up close and personal with a barred owl and a screech owl.
Devlin said the birds were brought to the festival by Mass Audubon, and the organization was able to host five 20-minute sessions, which she said were a big hit.
“We chose to bring the owls in this year because many of us will see a bird of prey, we have had bird of prey shows in the past, but it’s really a unique find, to discover an owl,” Devlin said.
SAVE also sponsored a tree tour, aimed at educating people about the trees in the area.
“Many people don’t know what tree is what and their importance to the area and the importance of having a native tree over an invasive species, which doesn’t necessarily provide any food for wildlife,” Devlin said. “That was very successful as well.”
The final activity the organization sponsored was a swap table, which has been a fixture at festivals past. Devlin said the table’s aim was to provide people with an opportunity to discard no longer needed items that may be of interest to another person at the festival with the hopes of minimizing waste.
“It’s just a great way to clean out your house and what is considered trash to you is somebody else’s treasure,” she said.
At the festival, attendees were given the opportunity to hold a boa constrictor, and McDonny’s Farm supplied a number of bunnies for the petting zoo.
Devlin said she was impressed by the sense of community fostered at the festival this year.
“There was such a feeling of camaraderie in the air,” she said. “I found that incredible … it was a really festive, totally positive experience, despite the rain.”
