The Darke County Park District would like to remind the public about 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 is reading 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 upcoming book club discussion. The Darke County Parks Nature Center can be reached at (937) 548-0165.

Did you know? In 1903 Muir gave President Theodore Roosevelt a personal tour of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and convinced him to work to preserve the land that would become Yosemite National Park.

On All Saints Day, November 1st at 5:30pm, join Darke County Parks at Greenville Union Cemetery to pay respect to local history and to check out a birding hotspot. From philanthropist Fred Coppock to the county’s early pioneers and from six US Congressmen to the only man ever legally hanged in Darke County, these names have quite the stories to tell. While we wander back in time, we’ll also keep an eye out for late fall migrating birds and arriving winter residents. Whether you’re a birder, a history buff, or both, bring your binoculars for this quiet evening hike through the cemetery. Meet at the cemetery office on the corner of West St. and Main St. in Greenville, and dress for the weather. Registration is requested for this event; to do so or for any questions about this or other park programs, please call the nature center at (937) 548-0165.

Did you know?- In many different traditions All Saints Day and All Souls Day are times of reflection and remembrance for the dearly departed.