“Crowds appeared to fall far short of the estimates, Centennial planners predicted at an August press conference on the affair. Officials then predicted 5,000 to 15,000 people would attend Friday’s campfire; the figure appeared to be closer to 500 people who braved the cold night. And Sportsmen Show projections called for 10,000 to 12,000 visitors a day; attendance on Saturday appeared to be a fraction of that number.

“The message delivered at Friday’s opening ceremonies and reinforced at the many displays and events throughout the weekend was the importance of shepherding the Forest Preserve so it will remain ‘forever wild’ as stated by the landmark legislation signed on May 15, 1885.

“So unless you abhor the outdoors and anything remotely connected with it, there was something somewhere for you to enjoy this weekend at the sprawling Forest Preserve celebration.

“Wish to fish? Rainbow-hued plastic lures covered booth after booth at the Sportsmen and Vacation Show at the Olympic Center. Live brook trout in tanks eyed their surroundings unawares, while bald-eagle Tahawus shifted uneasily on his caged perch.

“Like to hike? New York State Rangers tramped to Marcy Dam, Algonquin Peak and other spots with an eager if sometimes unprepared public. Two would-be masters of Mt. Marcy were sent back to their car because a Ranger deemed them unsatisfactorily dressed. In the Olympic Center several guides displayed their services at the Sportsmen Show.

“Prefer logging to jogging? Paul Smith’s College recreated logging history complete with a handsome team of horses at the horse show grounds.

“Long for Songs? Lady Luck and Robin Schade were among performers at Friday night’s chilly sing along at the speed-skating oval. Families huddled under blankets and crowded around two campfires to warm themselves, while the wisecracking wooden dummy of Willie and Co., wished aloud someone would extinguish the flames.

“Shoulders for boulders? One on which a plaque was installed at the 50th Forest Preserve celebration was rededicated on Route 86 on Friday. What say, you skipped it? Sacrilege?

“Pine to dine? There was a dinner Saturday at which the heads of the Wilderness Society and the New York State Foresters Association offered differing views of forest management in after-dinner speeches.

“Thriving on Driving? The Whiteface Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway was rededicated on Saturday, 50 years after President Franklin Roosevelt opened it on September 14, 1935.

“Even cynics who sat out the weekend could take pleasure in contemplating the irony of celebrating wilderness by attempting to attract thousands of people into the village for a roster chockfull of organized activities.”