Gather Under The Branches at the LEAF Festival

Saturday, Sept. 9

Since the stores are already advertising all things pumpkin spice, you might just have trees and fall on the brain. While it is generally hoped around these parts that we manage to stave off chillier weather, plant life can be enjoyed in any season. Which is why you should head over to the LEAF Festival at the Lake Erie Arboretum at Frontier Park and celebrate our local trees.

Marking its 19th year, the 2017 LEAF Festival will offer some old activities and some new ones for everyone to enjoy. According to Catherine Toews, LEAF Program Manager, attendees can check out live animal displays from the Erie Zoo and the Asbury Woods Nature Center, complete tree art activities, and participate in a walking tour through the arboretum — mark your calendars, it starts at noon.

With LEAF board member and Penn State extension educator Ruth Benner leading the way, you'll take a look at an educational display from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of Forestry (showcasing the internal and external anatomy of trees) and stop by the arborist's table to chat. They will be ready — and happy — to answer your questions regarding anything and everything tree-related. If you don't fancy bringing a picnic to enjoy a snack outdoors, there will also be food vendors on the premises (fresh air tends to work up an appetite), and those who want to further explore the arbor can participate in a scavenger hunt.

The LEAF Festival will welcome return displays and exhibits from I Am a Planet Kid, Nickel Plate Landscape, and the S.O.N.S. of Lake Erie, Toews confirms.

"The LEAF Festival is Erie's annual celebration of the beauty and diversity of trees in the arboretum," Toews adds. Show your support for this local gem, and give some love to Erie's trees by stopping by the festival. — Miriam Lamey

10 a.m. - 2 p.m. // Lake Erie Arboretum at Frontier Park, 1501 W. 6th Street // (814) 453-5323 // free