LEWISBURG — More than 9,000 people are expected to descend Saturday on Lewisburg for the 12th annual Woolly Worm Festival, where the worms are expected to predict how tough or smooth this winter will be.

The festival, which will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Hufnagle Park, also will include a worm race, food, crafts and other vendors. Entertainment is scheduled in the gazebo.

Last year, the woolly worms forecast a mild winter with some cold and snowy weather at the tail end of the season.

It’s long been recognized that the woolly worm, or woolly bear, caterpillar knows a lot about winter, according to event organizers. The little worms tell all to those knowledgeable in the reading of their black and brown stripes, organizers said.

A Columbia University study during the late 1940s and into the 1950s had shown that the ratio of black to brown and the plush of the worm’s fur foretell the severity of the coming winter.

People attending the ceremony may bring their own woolly worms for a customized prediction, officials said.

Profits from the day will go to Kiwanis children’s charities.