Events

The Illusion Factory, Akron’s professional theater for young audiences, is pleased to announce registration is now open for enrollment in its Summer Theater Camp. The camp runs two weeks, July 19th through 30th, and is held at the Northwest Family Recreation Center (adjoining the Northwest Library) at 1730 Shatto Ave., Akron, Ohio, 44313. The campers, ages 5 - 15, will have daytime classwork as well as rehearsals of Alice in Wonderland, which will be performed July 30th at 1:00PM for friends and family.

Preregistration is required. For questions, or to enroll, call (330) 836-1353 or email barbaraballance@theillusionfactory.org.

Kids Hooked on Fishing at The Wilderness Center Sat., May 1, 8:30 a.m.-Noon
Seminar will start with a welcome followed by four sessions: Basic fishing equipment, Knots & hooks, Bait and procedure for baiting, and State rules and regulations for fishing. Then we’ll venture down to Wilderness Lake and try for some bluegill and bass. For those lucky enough to catch some fish, we’ll instruct you on how to fillet. Kids aged 7 thru 15; must be accompanied by an adult. Only kids are allowed to fish. This event is members only and once-in-a-lifetime. Application deadline April 27. We’ll have a drawing and notify the 20 lucky applicants of time and materials to bring. Participants will need to bring their own fishing poles. TWC will provide barbless hooks and bait. Sponsored by TWC Fly Fishing Club. Visit www.wildernesscenter.org or call 1-877-359-5235 for more information.

Foto Fest Awards Show at The Wilderness Center Sat., May 1, 9:30 a.m.
See this year’s Foto Fest award-winning pictures and meet the photographers who made them! Free and open to the public. Visit www.wildernesscenter.org or call 1-877-359-5235 for more information.

Citizen Conservation at The Wilderness Center May 1 at Doughty Gorge, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
May 8 at Headquarters, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., May 15 at Wiles Woods, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Attention, all birders and conservation-minded members of TWC. Eminent biologist Edward O. Wilson stated that the two greatest threats to biodiversity on the planet are 1) habitat destruction and 2) invasive species. We have a chance to protect biodiversity right here at TWC. If left unchecked, the Center will begin to see a decrease in many species including birds, mammals, and amphibians.
Our Citizen Conservation program at TWC has begun. Join us to pull Garlic Mustard at the Headquarters tract 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on May 8; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Doughty Gorge on May 1; and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Wiles Woods on May 15. Come any time during these hours and pull for as long as you want! Please help us in our fight to protect the lands that all of you care about. Become a Citizen Conservationist. Contact Gary at gary@wildernesscenter.org or at 1-877-359-5235.

Foxfield Preserve Info Session at The Wilderness Center Sat., May 1, 2 p.m.
Foxfield Preserve is a nature preserve cemetery at TWC. Natural burial is an economical, environmentally friendly alternative to modern burial, as fewer resources are used. As a nature preserve, we provide wildlife habitat, a clean watershed, and clean air. Walking trails allow the community to enjoy the beauty and serenity of the preserve. A natural burial at Foxfield Preserve leaves a permanent legacy for your family, community, and the natural world. Visit www.wildernesscenter.org or call 1-877-359-5235 for more information.

Amphibians at The Wilderness Center Sat., May 1, 2 p.m.
Join Naturalist Carrie Elvey for a look at the fascinating world of frogs and salamanders. Meet live critters and go for a short hike to look for amphibian eggs and tadpoles. Geared for school age children and adults. Visit www.wildernesscenter.org or call 1-877-359-5235 for more information.

Wilderness Sprouts: Frogs at The Wilderness Center Fri., May 7, 10 a.m.
Join us as we explore the world of frogs. We’ll make frog masks and play frog games. If the weather cooperates, we will go on a search for frogs as well.
Dress for the weather–we’ll go out rain or shine. Children ages 3-5 with an adult. $4/member; $6/nonmember; adults free.

Star Watch & Planetarium Show at The Wilderness Center Fri., May 7, 8 p.m.
Join TWC’s Astronomy Club for a Planetarium Show, then view the real things through telescopes. No foolin’! All ages. Visit www.wildernesscenter.org or call 1-877-359-5235 for more information.

Mother’s Day Walk at The Wilderness Center Sun., May 9, 2 p.m.
Join Marvin & Sandy Smith of the Botanizers Club for a Mothers Day Wildflower Walk. Visit www.wildernesscenter.org or call 1-877-359-5235 for more information.

Your Sky Tonight at The Wilderness Center Tue., May 11, 1 p.m.
Join us for this informal time under the Planetarium dome on the 2nd Tues. of every month. Bring your questions—you’ll determine the program! Includes astronomy in the news and a tour of the sky this evening. Visit www.wildernesscenter.org or call 1-877-359-5235 for more information.

Bird Walk at The Wilderness Center Sat., May 15, 8 a.m.
Take a walk with the Birders Club to look for birds. All ages. Visit www.wildernesscenter.org or call 1-877-359-5235 for more information.

Family Day at The Wilderness Center Sat., May 15, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Bring the whole family out to TWC for this Family Day! Naturalists and volunteers will be on hand to help you recycle old paper into new, see a snake or planetarium show, and try a dip net at the pond. Children of all ages can also feed the fish and geese and try a scavenger hunt. Pack a lunch and make a day of it! Visit www.wildernesscenter.org or call 1-877-359-5235 for more information.

Spring Mushrooms at The Wilderness Center Sat., May 15, 10 a.m.
View a Power Point presentation and sculpted mushrooms to learn correct identification. Taste wild mushrooms—2 (or more) species! Bring your mushroom questions for a Q&A. Presented by Julie Powell. Free, but $3 for mushroom identification plus recipes package. Some mushroom sculptures available for sale. Visit www.wildernesscenter.org or call 1-877-359-5235 for more information.

Story Concert at The Wilderness Center Sat., May 15, 7 p.m.
The Storytellers of TWC explore the delights of a tale well told with a wide range of stories: folk tales that endure time and trends; stories to make you laugh; stories that send a chill down your spine; tales of other people and places. Come, revel in the unexpected! We need the most important part of storytelling—you. $3/adult; $1/child; $6/family. Visit www.wildernesscenter.org or call 1-877-359-5235 for more information.

Story Time: It’s Spring! At The Wilderness Center Wed., May 19, 11 a.m.
Celebrate spring at The Wilderness Center. We’ll have spring stories and sing spring songs. Walk to hear birds sing their spring songs and see spring flowers bloom. Stories are for 3-4 year olds, but all ages are welcome, if they’ll be interested. Dress for the weather. Free for members; donation requested from nonmembers. Registration is optional. If there’s any reason we have to reschedule or cancel, we’ll call those who are registered. Visit www.wildernesscenter.org or call 1-877-359-5235 for more information.

Wilderness Walk at The Wilderness Center Thu., May 20, 2 p.m.
Join a naturalist on the 3rd Thu. each month for a walk on our trails. See what’s interesting today! All ages. Visit www.wildernesscenter.org or call 1-877-359-5235 for more information.

Up River Concert at The Wilderness Center Fri., May 21, 7 p.m.
In the 1700s, British sailing ships carried immigrants from Ireland and Scotland to America, a new land of hope and promise. These people brought their culture with them and a centerpiece of that culture was their music: beautiful airs, haunting ballads, and fun-loving jigs and reels. They settled in Appalachia, where their music took hold and established itself as a pillar of traditional American music. This is the music of Up River.
Up River plays traditional Celtic and Appalachian Mountain music that has been passed down through the generations and is rarely heard on the TV or the radio. The music is woven together with stories of the people who carried it from their Celtic homelands, and of the people who carried it forward to us, and to you.
At the core of Up River are band historian Dan Moorefield on vocals, piano, and guitar and Teresa Morrison on the Irish whistle, tenor banjo, mandolin, bouzouki, and guitar. Myra Morrison is featured on fiddle and vocals. She is an award-winning fiddler and fiddle teacher, bringing much of her style and many tunes from West Virginia. Rounding out the band is Dennis Kempthorn, who plays a driving bass to add power to the music.
No other bands put on a show like Up River. The audience leaves not only having been entertained by great music but also enriched and connected to its heritage. $8/TWC member; $10/nonmember. Children 15 and younger half price, if accompanied by an adult. We’d like to thank our sponsor, Regas & Haag, Attorneys-at-Law. See you there! Visit www.wildernesscenter.org or call 1-877-359-5235 for more information.

Family Astronomy: Spring Skies at The Wilderness Center Sat., May 22, 2 p.m.
The herdsman guides the bears around the pole. The crow and cup ride a sea serpent. The lion and young woman complete the Harnessing and Harvesting group. All ages. Visit www.wildernesscenter.org or call 1-877-359-5235 for more information.

The Wilderness Center is a nonprofit nature center located one mile west of Wilmot, Ohio just north of highway 250. The Center is dedicated to Nature Education, Wildlife Conservation, Natural History Research, and Community Service. The Center derives its support from memberships and donations. It is not a government agency and is not supported by taxes.

Joe Kovach, who studies ecological pest management at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC), will hold a free public tour of his fruit and vegetable polyculture plots at 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 20th at 2305 Dover Rd. (U.S. 250) in Wooster.

The plots grow various combinations of annual and perennial crops, tall crops and short ones, in raised beds or not, under high tunnels or not, to determine which way works best to minimize pests and maximize profits.

“There’s been a lot of interest (in seeing the plots), especially among urban market gardeners,” said Kovach, who also holds an appointment with Ohio State University Extension. “I decided to offer the tours at set times to streamline things a bit.”

High-value crops, including apples, peaches, green beans, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and salad tomatoes, are the focus. Grossing $10 per row foot — equal to $90,000 an acre — is the goal.

The plots are ideal for urban and small-scale farming, Kovach said. They’re just 44 feet by 60 feet in size; use only minimal pesticides — only when there’s no alternative; produce a lot of food in a relatively small space; and grow foods that are both good to eat and easy to sell.

The varied crop types, heights and seasons, plus the ramped-up biodiversity that results, are designed to make life harder on pests and easier on the grower.

Tours are set for June 24, July 22 and Aug 19 as well, all at the same time and place and also on Thursdays.

The plots are just south of the main OARDC campus.

Call 330-263-3846 or e-mail kovach.49@osu.edu for more information.

OARDC and OSU Extension are the research and outreach arms, respectively, of Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.

12th ANNUAL REALTORS RELAY FOR LIFE
AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY BENEFIT AUCTION
THURSDAY, MAY 20TH, 2010
DOORS OPEN AT 5:00 PM
MEMORIES PARTY & CONFERENCE CENTER
2437 BACK ORRVILLE ROAD, WOOSTER

ALL PROCEEDS BENEFIT THE WAYNE/HOLMES CANCER SOCIETIES

SPECIAL AUCTION ITEM - GOODYEAR BLIMP RIDE