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February 23, 2026
All photos were also taken by Nathan Zisk.
The Indiana County Decathlon officially kicked off with its 10th-annual Hot Chocolate Walk on Saturday at Blue Spruce Park.
East Pike Elementary student Lincoln Ford,
8, of Indiana Borough, came face-to-face with a male Downy Woodpecker as he was
hand-feeding birds Saturday at the 10th-annual Hot Chocolate Walk at Blue Spruce
Park.
More than 50 outdoor enthusiasts came for the complimentary coffee and hot chocolate and stayed for one of two guided walks around the park.
Around 30 attendees at the 10th-annual
Hot Chocolate Walk hiked along Getty Run Trail, or "Chickadee Pathway," to
hand-feed birds Saturday at Blue Spruce Park.
Around 20 attendees joined Indiana Parks and Trails Director Ed Patterson as he led them on a roughly 2-mile hike around the park, and around 30 attendees joined former IUP biology professor Ray Winstead along Getty Run Trail to hand-feed birds.
A male Downy Woodpecker flew into
Indiana Borough 8-year-old Lincoln Ford's hands to eat some bird seed
Saturday at the 10th-annual Hot Chocolate Walk at Blue Spruce Park.
"The turnout was great," said event organizer Josh Krug, with the Indiana County Office of Planning and Development. "We had pretty good weather today ... and we had a really great event with a lot of success in feeding the birds."
A male Downy Woodpecker flew into Indiana Borough 11-year-old Paxton Ford's
hand to eat some bird seed Saturday at the 10th-annual Hot Chocolate Walk at
Blue Spruce Park.
During the guided tour around the park, Patterson stopped at various sites to talk about the park's history and some of the things he's observed over the last 48 years. During the walk along Getty Run Trail, Winstead showed off how to hand-feed birds and talked about how he started the bird-feeding activity in 2012.
Former IUP biology
professor Ray Winstead handed out seed packs to attendees at the 10th-annual
Hot Chocolate Walk on Saturday at Blue Spruce Park. Winstead, who started
the hand-feeding bird activity in 2012, claims his mixture of peanut splits
and black oil sunflower seeds, from the Indiana Feed and Supply Store along
Water Street, get the best results when hand feeding birds along Getty Run
Trail at the park.
Winstead and Patterson said hand-feeding birds has become a huge hit at the park, with tourists coming in from outside the area each year. Though, Winstead emphasized bird populations are at risk, and what used to be a thriving activity with more than 30 active birds at Blue Spruce Park has dwindled to only 13 active birds within the last two years.
More than 50 people came out to
the 10th-annual Hot Chocolate Walk on Saturday at Blue Spruce Park. Around
20 attendees took a guided tour around the park, led by Indiana County Parks
and Trails Director Ed Patterson, and the remaining 30 attendees took a
guided tour down Getty Run Trail, where they hand-fed birds with former IUP
biology professor Ray Winstead, who led the bird-feeding group.
"This year, I have 13 regulars," Winstead said. "I know there are five regular chickadees, four regular tufted titmice, three regular white-breasted nuthatches and one regular downy woodpecker - and when I say regular, I mean they come to my hand every day."
Indiana County Commissioner
Sherene Hess spoke to attendees at the 10th-annual Hot Chocolate Walk on
Saturday at Blue Spruce Park.
He said the primary cause for the declining bird populations, as far as he's aware, is the overuse of pesticides that kill insects - an essential food source for birds.
Indiana County Office of
Planning and Development Deputy Planning Director Josh Krug organized the
10th-annual Hot Chocolate Walk on Saturday at Blue Spruce Park.
"The reason the bird populations are going down is because the insect populations are going down," he said, "so reproduction is way down in many bird species."
A White-breasted Nuthatch took a
peanut split from the hand of Grace Lenox, of White Township, during the
10th-annual Hot Chocolate Walk on Saturday at Blue Spruce Park.
Both Patterson and Winstead specifically asked that people avoid dumping or scattering seeds on the ground or benches - as it could untrain the birds to feed from people's hands.
Indiana County Office of
Planning and Development Deputy Planning Director Josh Krug, left, and East
Pike Elementary student Lydia Jobes, 6, waited patiently for birds to land
in their hands at the 10th-annual Hot Chocolate Walk on Saturday at Blue
Spruce Park.
"The one thing we do ask is that people don't leave seeds scattered around," Patterson said. "That allows other people coming to have a chance to feed."
A White-breasted Nuthatch
swooped down to take a peanut split during the 10th-annual Hot Chocolate
Walk on Saturday along Getty Run Trail, in Blue Spruce Park.
Along with the complimentary coffee and hot chocolate, attendees received free T-shirts at Saturday's program.
A Black-capped Chickadee swooped down to check
out its food options at the 10th-annual Hot Chocolate Walk on Saturday along
Getty Run Trail, in Blue Spruce Park.
The Indiana County Decathlon offers a unique itinerary of group and solo walking tours designed to help people get active and explore the scenic views, culture and history of Indiana County from February through June. The walks range from easy strolls on paved paths to moderate hikes on local trails, according to the Indiana County Office of Planning and Development, which helps organize the event.
Blue Spruce Park is located at 1128 Blue
Spruce Road, Rayne Township.
The Decathlon was developed to support and sustain the Indiana County WalkWorks Program.
Blue Spruce Park is located at 1128 Blue
Spruce Road, Rayne Township.
A complete list of Decathlon events and self-guided walking flyers can be found by visiting icopd.org and clicking on the Decathlon logo.
"(The Decathlon) really helps people engage with the community (and) other community members; learn about culture, historical (and) recreational resources throughout the county; (and more)," Krug said.
Hot chocolate for Saturday's program was provided by the Indiana County Tourist Bureau, coffee was provided by Aroma Joe's and water and snacks were provided by Martin's of Indiana.
The program was sponsored by The Artists Hand Gallery, Indiana County Parks and Trails, Aging Services Inc., the Indiana YMCA, Young & Associates, Indiana Regional Medical Center, Stuart Group, the Indiana County Sheriff's Office, Thomas R. Harley Architects, Indiana County Wellness Committee, the Chamber of Indiana County, Stiffler McGraw, Sheesley & Associates, the Fox Clark Gallery, Indiana Borough, Gibson-Thomas Engineering, the Tourist Bureau, First Commonwealth Bank and ICOPD.
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