Join Darke County Parks to celebrate birds on Earth Day! On Saturday, April 22nd from 7am to 2pm spend the day with family exploring the wild birds that call our region home.

This fun-filled birding festival will take place at Shawnee Prairie Preserve on St. Rt. 502 just west of Greenville. The festivities will begin with “Breakfast with the Birds,” a fundraiser by the Darke County Birders Club, which will offer breakfast bites in an effort to raise money to care for Greta, the Darke County Parks’ owl. Five Rivers MetroParks will join the celebration with a wide selection of the birds of prey animal ambassadors. See a Screech Owl, Kestrel, and a Red-tailed Hawk up close, and learn about these amazing animals! The day will continue with a variety of bird-themed activities for all ages, walk, workshops, and more!

Join the naturalists to discover who’s nesting around the Nature Center or a lunch-time chat about bird feeding. At 7:30am avid birders can enjoy a discovery hike, with an 8:30am beginners bird walk to follow. The whole family can discover birds together on the 9am hike, and ongoing after 10am there will be nest box building, a bird feeder craft, toys that fly, bird bingo, workshops on gardening for birds, backyard bird feeding, time to explore the Natural Play Area, and much more. From 11am to 1pm the Friends of the Parks will be offering a quick hotdog lunch. The park staff and volunteers hope to see everyone enjoying Earth Day on the trails of Shawnee Prairie!

If you have any questions about this or any other program offered by the Darke County Parks, please call the Nature Center at (937) 548-0165 or visit the website at www.darkecountyparks.org

The Friends of Darke County Parks is excited to announce the first event of their exciting new series “Every Woman Has a Story.” Join them on Saturday, May 20th from 10am to 1pm in the Darke County Parks’ log house for a special ladies’ brunch to celebrate women and their stories. The first session will highlight local glassware collector, Ms. Mitzi Johnson. She will discuss how she got interested in this hobby and show some of her unique collection. They are getting out the special china, so dress in vintage style and wear your favorite hat! There will be door prizes and prizes for the best bought and handmade hat worn.

The menu will include: special breakfast casserole, waffles with fruit and real cream topping, chocolate dipped strawberries, coffee, and tea. The cost is $20 per person at the time of reservation. To register, mail a note with your name, email, and phone number along with payment to Friends of Darke County Parks P.O. Box 801 Greenville, Ohio 45331.

For questions or more information, contact Friends’ President Barbie Hansbarger at (937) 447-3355.

Did you know? Cut glass, like this decanter, is much more valuable than glass made by pressing into a mold.