The bald eagle was king at the seventh annual EagleFest

By TOM KANE

NARROWSBURG, NY - Any casual traveler who was passing through Narrowsburg last Saturday between the hours of 9:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. would probably ask, “What’s happening here?”

What was happening was the seventh annual EagleFest, organized by the Delaware Valley Eagle Alliance. The crowds at the events, on the sidewalks and along the roadsides were even bigger than last year, according to the organizers Yoke and John DiGiorgio.

A wide range of local businesses and other groups cosponsored the event.

“All the businesses in the town did very well,” said Will Geisler, owner of Roasters, a coffee house on Main Street. “The main beneficiaries were the food businesses, but from what I saw and heard, even the non-food businesses did well.”

“We did about the same as last year,” said Stanley Harper, owner of the Main Street Café. “A lot of what we do is limited by our size. We couldn’t crowd any more people in.”

“We were so crowded that we had to let people in and out one by one,” said Tony Coscia, owner of the River Gallery on Main Street where a silent auction was held for 30 posters donated by local artists. The auction raised $2,300. “The money was donated to the Delaware Valley Eagle Alliance,” he said. “We must have seen about 1,000 people come in here.”

It was evident from the events held in the Narrowsburg School auditorium and the Tusten Theater that the main attendees were families with children.

At two presentations in the school auditorium, Bill Streeter of the Delaware Valley Raptor Center in Milford, PA showed two owls and two eagles, and the auditorium was packed for both morning sessions.

“I came with my two grandchildren in order to give them a sense of the forests and the creatures that grow in it and the eagles that feed off the river,” said Barbara Peters of Narrowsburg. “It’s important that they grow up with a respect and interest in maintaining our land the way it should be maintained.”

Even though most children get instructed in schools and at home, it’s important that they actually see these great birds, she said.

Grandchildren Lucas Tarliman, 9, and Ramey Serdah, 7, said they liked the bald eagles best. “My dad is a big fan of the bald eagle and I am too,” Lucas said.

“They give you a lot of information about the birds and help you understand them,” said Fawn, 9, of Wurtsboro, who attended with her mother, Pattie DiPleco and a friend. “I’m coming back next year,” she said.