WANAKENA -- The SUNY-ESF Ranger School will celebrate its 100th academic year with a forest festival Sept. 28 and 29 with music, food, artisan vendors, children’s events and forest-related activities.

The festival begins Friday, from 6 – 9 p.m. with a lecture by Arthur Reinelt on National Parks and Park Management in Bavaria, Germany.

Saturday the festival will run from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m, with children’s activities including face painting. Storyteller Chris Lajewski will present at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

Music will include performances by the Blind Owl Band from 2 – 4 p.m. and Roy Hurd from 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

A 250-chain (5K) Fun Run and Walk takes place at 9 a.m. A “chain” is a traditional unit of measurement used by surveyors and foresters. The course will follow gravel roads on the Ranger School’s Dubuar Memorial Forest.

The registration table opens at 7:45 a.m. Walk-in registrations are welcome, but for a guaranteed race T-shirt, the registration form and payment must be received by Friday, Sept. 21. The fee is $20 for adults and $12 for youth 14 and under.

The Wanakena Historical Association will host a photography contest. Photos must be taken in St. Lawrence County, within the boundaries of the Adirondack Park. Judging will occur in two categories: Nature and North Country Life. Entry fees are $5 for one photo, $10 for three photos, and $20 for up to ten photos. For entry and registration forms visit www.esf.edu/rangerschool/centennial/festival.

“The Way to Wanakena,” a social-activitist exploration of the concept of community by photographer and seasonal resident Kristin Rehder, will also be on view.

After Sept. 30, the exhibit will be moved to the Tang Museum in Saratoga Springs.

The exhibit may also be viewed online at http://thewaytowanakena.com/.

For more information on the festival, visit http://www.esf.edu/rangerschool/centennial/festival.htm.