Darke County Parks is hosting a series of fitness programs called Naturally Fit occurring the fourth Monday of every month. Everyone wants to lead healthier lives and spend more time outdoors. However, workout machines aren’t always environmentally friendly, and gyms aren’t very exciting. Besides, sometimes life just gets in the way! Use these programs as an “excuse” to schedule time outside and get moving. Each of these programs focuses more on fitness than nature, with everyone moving at their own pace, whether that’s one loop or ten. The September program will take place September 26th at 4:30pm at Worth Family Nature Preserve which has 1.2 miles of loop trail through woods and along Greenville Creek. The park is located on Spring Hill Rd. 2.5 miles north of State Route 502 West. Meet there, and don’t forget to bring a water bottle.

Did you know? Because of hills, wind, avoiding puddles, people, and obstacles, walking outdoors burns more calories than walking on a treadmill.

The Darke County Park District is pleased to announce the Down to Earth Book Club’s autumn selection. Each quarter the program will feature a different book, some by well-known nature writers, some about outdoor adventure, and even some about pioneers settling Ohio. Everyone is invited to read the book and join them at the Nature Center to discuss the work, enjoy some yummy treats, and suggest future books.

In its fourth season, the Down to Earth Book Club will read My First Summer in the Sierra by John Muir. First published in 1911, it is based on the diary Muir kept during a four month stay with sheep herders in the high Sierra Nevada Mountains in 1869. It tells of the magnificent vistas, diverse wildlife, and wild country that would one day become Yosemite National Park.  

This season’s book club will meet on Monday, November 7th at 6:30pm at the Shawnee Prairie Preserve Nature Center. Please call ahead to let them know you plan on participating in the book club discussion in November. The Darke County Parks Nature Center can be reached at (937) 548-0165.

“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.” ― John Muir