Susan Hallock | Democrat BILL STREETER OF the Delaware Valley Raptor Center and his owl are always a show stopper at the Live Birds of Prey demon-strations that are one of the highlights of EagleFest.

Welcome to state's

'Eagle Capitol'

By Susan Hallock
NARROWSBURG — January 22, 2008 — How successful was the seventh annual EagleFest?
By one count over 1,600 people alone took the opportunity to view the eagles along the Delaware River from the deck located on Main Street in Narrowsburg at the recent event.
People were lined up out the door at all of the special events offered throughout the day in the hamlet and Eaglefest 2008 has truly proven to be one of the largest attended events since it began seven years ago.
Merchants had one of the busiest days of the year, one of the benefits of the fest.
“All of this today is because of the hard work of John and Yoke DiGiorgio and every year it just gets better and better,” Town of Tusten Supervisor Ben Johnson said. “Today’s Eaglefest event truly shows all of the benefits of their hard work and they should be very proud of everything here today. Everyone is having a great time and it is truly great to see both young and old here as well as the many families that are here as well.”
John DiGiorgio, co-founder of the event, added, “We could not have done all this on our own. There are so many people here to thank and I want to thank them all. From people in the community, to the school, to just everyone they have been so supportive of us.
“Eaglefest is a way to raise awareness of our bald eagle and of the issues effecting our natural environment. Right now the bald eagle is off the endangered species list and that is a proud accomplishment,” he added.
DiGiorgio also noted, “I would also like to add that this year we are thrilled to have the sponsor ‘Animal Planet’ involved with this event. They have come through amazingly and we look forward to working with them even more.”
Senator John Bonacic also looks forward to EagleFest every year and said, “You do know that Narrowsburg is the Eagle Capital of New York and I look forward to coming here every year. It is such a wonderful event. It is amazing what an event like this can do for Narrowsburg, and the awareness it raises about the natural areas. Everyone involved in this event deserves a great round of applause.”
Debbie Reimer, branch manager of the Narrowsburg branch of co-sponsor Catskill Hudson Bank added, “ This is our first year being a co-sponsor and it is such a thrill to see all the families here today and to see what a huge event this has truly proven to be. Education of our young and even our older generation is truly done here today in a positive and fun educational way and everyone here is just smiling and that is what it is all about; enjoying nature, the eagles and being outdoors.”
Eaglefest events included the Birds of Prey Show, many educational programs as well as numerous displays of artwork and photographs, ice sculptures, music and most of all, a fun and educational event for everyone who participated and it was estimated that over 2,500 people took part in the day’s events.
Yoke DiGiorgio is the director of the Delaware Valley Eagle Alliance, which organizes the annual event.
Eaglefest 2008, despite the cold temps, did prove to have the streets of Narrowsburg buzzing and plans are already in the works for Eaglefest 2009.