Published: July 10, 2008 02:50 pm         

Annual Lake Fest is Saturday

By MICHELLE MILLER
Staff Writer

The Otsego Lake Festival has become an annual summer tradition in the Village of Cooperstown. This will mark the fourth year of the event, which will take place Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. in Lakefront Park.

Sponsored by the Otsego County Water Quality Coordinating Committee (WQCC), the Otsego Lake Festival is a day of educational outreach with a focus on water quality, as well as a celebration that recognizes Otsego Lake and its vital role to the region as the source of the Susquehanna River.

The Festival will feature non-profit groups in the region that support water quality initiatives.

Exhibits will detail local efforts to improve and safeguard Otsego Lake and other water resources throughout Otsego County.

Otsego Lake Festival planner Susan O’Handley said the festival is a fairly small and intimate event that is nice occasion for people to have fun and learn about water quality all at the same time. She said last year was the first year the sun came out to join the festivities, resulting in the best turnout to date.

``We are hoping for that again this year,’’ said O’Handley.

O’Handley said she believes the Otsego Lake Festival is an important event because it gives people the opportunity to get to know more about water issues and the organizations involved with water quality.

She also said it gives people a chance to learn how they can make a difference. ``I encourage people to come because water quality is such a critical subject,’’ O’Handley said.