Geauga Park District
For 15 years now, the park district’s Maple Town Tune Traders have shared a variety of music at The West Woods Nature Center in Chester Township the fourth Thursday of each month...
For more information and registration, contact the park district at 440-286-9516 or visit www.geaugaparkdistrict.org.
Musical Showcase
For 15 years now, the park district’s Maple Town Tune Traders have shared a variety of music at The West Woods Nature Center in Chester Township the fourth Thursday of each month.
Tune Traders are a fine showcase of music – blues, country, classical, vintage pop, Celtic, traditional and modern folk music and a bit of rock – with participants playing, singing or simply enjoying as audience. All genres, instruments and skill levels are welcome. A piano is also provided.
Spring scheduled sessions are April 28, May 26 and June 23. Short “open mic” performances are held 7-8:30 p.m., with first-come-first-served sign-ups, followed by a round-robin jam session until 9:30 p.m.
Admission is free; register to participate as a musician or audience member.
For more information, contact naturalist host Denise Wolfe at dwolfe@geaugaparkdistrict.org or 440-226-2877.
Spring At Observatory Park
Observatory Park in Montville Township is open daily 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. through Memorial Day, then 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. through Labor Day, and naturalists including “Astro-Nat” Chris Mentrek are eager to show guests around the International Dark Sky Park.
Outdoor movie nights return beginning with “Captain America: The First Avenger” on June 18. Bring a blanket, lawn chair and refreshments. The movie will begin at dusk, moving indoors in case of inclement weather.
Walk-up guided night sky viewing will be held from dark until 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, April 22 and 23, May 13, 14, 27 and 28, and June 10, 11, 24 and 25. If cloudy, enjoy a planetarium show instead. Additionally, members of the Chagrin Valley Astronomical Society will host walk-up night sky viewing at Nassau Astronomical Station May 21 and June 18 from dark until 11 p.m. Nassau nights are cancelled by cloudy weather.
Ohio experiences a total lunar eclipse in May. The event begins at 10:30 p.m. May 15, and wraps up around 2 a.m. the next.
Instruction will be offered on June 25 for those who have telescope but are unsure how to use it. Register to bring it in for a daylight practice session for help getting started.
Registration is required to make a simple sun projector, followed by night sky viewing if skies are clear, on June 10 from 7-8 p.m., or to make a simple wooden stargazing/campfire chair on June 17 from 6-8 p.m. All tools and instruction will be provided.
For youth, a handful of spots are left for kids ages 3-5 to enjoy Astrotots: Planet Pals, complete with a make-and-take craft, on May 13, from 11 a.m. to noon. Additionally, three-day camp sessions tailored to youth entering grades five through 10 will end their weeks with an outing to Observatory Park. Learn more about these experiences on the park district website.
Horseback riders may register to ride during Horseback Trail Rides on June 9, and/or June 12. Both walk-only and walk-and-trot rides are available each day.
A World Migratory Bird Day Evening Bird Walk requires registration on May 16, and registration for Daisy Girl Scouts and Tiger Cub Scouts programs is also open for May 20 and May 21, respectively.
Register for a Zoom presentation of “20 Things to See on the Moon” on May 13, from 7-8 p.m. A link will be sent upon registration.
“Astro-Nat” Chris will present his famous Sky Tonight Planetarium Shows inside the Robert McCullough Science Center Sundays, April 24, May 29 and June 26, at both 2 and 3 p.m. Register for a 45-minute time slot in advance.
Bring Your Own Horse
Registration open for 10 springtime horseback rides in Geauga Park District. Naturalist Dottie Drockton will lead planned paces catering to both walk-only and walk-and-trot riders.
Rides are available at The West Woods on April 26; at Holbrook Hollows on May 16 and 29; and at Observatory Park on June 9 and 12. Register for one or both rides on each of the days; – bring lunch if staying for both rides.
