Magic at night

Schenectady — A phoenix rises and burns in the darkness; a 30-meter dragon looks down on the spectators; a row of baby ducks shimmer like stars in the dark evening.

At Mabee Farm Historic Site, the Fall Lantern Festival will light up the night Thursday through Sunday, starting Thursday, September 5, through Sunday, November 3. It will pay tribute to the local community, the changing seasons, and the rich history that comes with them.

“I think a lot of people would agree with me that fall is really the season in upstate New York,” said Mary Zawacki, executive director of the Schenectady County Historical Society. “When you think of the quintessential fall day or evening, you think upstate New York: pumpkins, apples, cozy leaves. We have all of that at Mabee Farm. These lanterns will light it up.”

The event’s uniqueness is enhanced by its length. “It will last the entire season,” Zawacki said, referring to it as an “eight-week celebration of fall.” “It’s a celebration of the entire season. That’s what makes it special.”

“I think Mabee is a great location for us because we’re always looking for places where our art can be presented in a pastoral setting,” said Travis Noyes, chief marketing officer for Kaleido Arts and Entertainment.

The festival, organized by Kaleido Arts and Entertainment, has attracted more than 500,000 attendees to lantern festivals across the country. “What we also love about this event that we organize is that it is extremely family-friendly. We have found that our audience is multi-

“Generational,” Noyes said.

With the lanterns as the “stars of the show,” the event is designed around them to complement their brilliance. There will be live entertainment, as well as seasonal food and beverages from local vendors. On select evenings, Mabee Farm will be open late for visitors, offering crafts for children and opportunities to tour the educational center and farm exhibits.

“We’re trying to create a culture where we have different music and food, and people can come together and have fun and celebrate,” Noyes continued. “The community element is important to us. Traditionally, lantern festivals are about reconciliation, peace, forgiveness and community. We want to foster that wherever we go.”

The lanterns on display are carefully designed by six different craftsmen, including their lead artist, Wang Yu. Each craftsman plays a vital role in the creation of the lanterns, from the designer to the frame engineer, architect, papermaker, electrician and painter.

“These lanterns are their own works of visual art. We’re proud that each one has been carefully designed by many different artists, so it’s like walking through an illuminated sculpture field,” Noyes said.

The origins of lantern festivals can be traced back hundreds of years to the Han Dynasty. Lantern festivals flourished

during the Tang Dynasty, when Zigong gained fame as the Lantern City of the Southern Kingdom. The bustling market brings together artisans who painstakingly shape and craft lanterns, drawing on traditional Chinese motifs and modern innovations.

“It’s hard to overstate the importance of lanterns in Chinese culture,” Zawacki said. “It goes back to 200 B.C. It’s a big part of their culture, paying homage to the full moon, celebrating the changing of the seasons and the cycles of nature. It’s a unique cultural experience. We’re a historical society, so it’s exciting for us to be able to highlight that in our space, something we’ve never really been able to talk about before, and also show in such a luminous way.”

Bringing people together, Zawacki noted, is at the heart of all the Historical Society’s events, especially this one. “I love that it’s continuing this 2,000-year-old tradition on a completely different continent, but the idea is still the same: to bring people together, to celebrate and be present during the changing of the season,” she added.

To purchase tickets, please visit: https://www.autumnglowfestival.com.