The Eagle Festival at Mason Neck State Park is This Saturday!

Mason Neck State Park will celebrate its 11th annual Eagle Festival from 10am-4pm, and that means vendors, games, live animal shows and more. The free event draws thousands to the park, which is home to the Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge. The area is home to 50-60 bald eagles. 

The first eagle festival was held in honor of Hartwell, a longtime Mason Neck resident, author and environmentalist after her death in 2000. 

"It started out as a celebration of my mother's work to preserve the bald eagles at Mason Neck," said Rob Hartwell, who spoke to Patch from a business trip in Germany. "The first festival was a service in her honor with family and friends, with 100-200 people. Now, depending on the weather we can get as many as 5,000 people on a nice day and about 800 people on a rainy day." 

There is a 30 percent chance of rain on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. 

"It's all about educating our young people about the importance of continuing to protect the environment and our natural resources and what we have available to us in nature, and to get kids away from computers and television sets," said Hartwell.  

The Eagle Festival includes: 

• Musical performances 
• Live animal shows 
• Hayrides 
• Food
• Canoe tours
• Guided hikes
• Educational displays 
• A moonbounce

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