MILL CREEK METROPARKS October calendar

Activities at Mill Creek MetroParks.
Oct. 3: 7 p.m., See baby animals when Sandra Kollar brings a bear, cougar, fox, coyote and more for this program of Ohio wildlife. Meet at Yellow Creek Park Lodge.
Oct. 4: 10 a.m., Are you afflicted with affluenza? Affluenza is based on two highly acclaimed PBS documentaries which use the metaphor of disease to tackle a very serious subject -- the damage done to our health, our families, our communities and our environment by the obsessive quest for material gain. Meet at Ford Nature Center.
Oct. 4: 1 or 1:30 p.m., Dr. John White, professor of anthropology at Youngstown State University, has been leading a team of students and volunteers in an archaeological dig of Youngstown's first blast furnace-the Mill Creek Furnace. He will host a guided tour of the site and present the artifacts they've uncovered. Call (330) 740-7107 to register. Held at Pioneer Pavilion.
Oct. 4-5: 10-5 p.m., Mahoning Valley Dahlia Society Flower Exhibition. Display of the many varieties of dahlias at the Davis Education and Visitor Center.
Oct. 4, 11 and 18: 9 a.m. Volunteer naturalist Nancy Brundage leads bird walks. Bring binoculars. Meet at Newport Wetlands.
Oct. 5: 1:30-3:30 p.m. Kayak tour of the Newport Wetlands. Meet at East Newport Boat Launch. Minors 11 to 17 must be accompanied by an adult. Single and tandem kayaks are available. Call (330) 740-7107 for registration information. Fee: $12 per person for residents; $15 per person for nonresidents; second person in tandem kayak, half price.
Oct. 5, 12 and 19: 1-5 p.m. MetroParks Farm barns will be open to view the animals. Wagon rides will be offered every half-hour from 1:30-4:30 Oct. 5 and 19. The farm will close for the season Oct. 24.
Oct. 7, 14, 21 and 28: 5:30-7 p.m., The basics of yoga taught in Fellows Riverside Gardens by Heidi Suraci. Tea will be served after class. Call (330) 740-7116 to register. Fee: $36 R, $48 NR.
Oct. 8: 8:30-10 a.m., Take a walk in the gardens and enjoy the ornamental grasses and other fall blooming perennials before having a breakfast of fruit and muffins in the Garden Cafe. Call (330) 740-7116 to register. Fee: $6 R, $8 NR.
Oct. 8: 1:30-3 p.m., kayak tour to look for migrating waterfowl and other species of wildlife along the Newport Wetlands. Meet at East Newport Boat Launch. Minors 11 to 17 must be accompanied by an adult. Single and tandem kayaks are available. Call (330) 740-7107 for registration information. Fee: $12 per person R, $15 per person NR; second person in tandem kayak, half-price.
Oct. 9: 10, 10:45 or 11:30 a.m., 2-year-olds and their adult companions will hear a story about bats. We will visit Ford Nature Center's bat boxes and make crafts. Call (330) 740-7107 to register.
Oct. 9, 16, 23 and 30: 8:30-10 a.m. or 5:30-7 p.m., basics of yoga taught in Fellows Riverside Gardens. Tea will be served after class. Call (330) 740-7116 to register. Fee: $36 R, $48 NR.
Oct. 10: 7:30 p.m., North American Indian tribes referred to this month's full moon as the Falling Leaf Moon. Walk begins in Austintown Township and continues along the MetroParks Bikeway to the Brocker Preserve in Canfield Township. Meet at Kirk Road Trailhead. About 4 miles, moderate difficulty.
Oct. 10-Nov. 23: Weller Gallery. Photography by Carll Goodpasture. Color photographs in this exhibit portray the symbiotic relationship between insects and the plant kingdom. Exhibit circulated by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service.
Oct. 11: 10-11:30 a.m., Children 6 or older will learn the importance of honeybees. We'll make biscuits for sampling varieties of honey. Program includes a visit to the Vanishing Pollinators exhibit at Weller Gallery. Call (330) 740-7116 to register. Fee: $6.
Oct. 11: 2-8 p.m., local artisans demonstrate the traditional tasks of pioneer life at Yellow Creek Park, Struthers. Crafts, sack races and pumpkin contests await you at this family celebration of autumn. A night hike will close out the evening.
Oct. 12: 2-3:30 p.m., guided tour of Fellows Riverside Gardens. Meet on the DeYor Concourse.
Oct. 12: 2 p.m., Experience the array of reds, oranges and yellows on this autumn hike around Lake Glacier. Meet at Ford Nature Center. About 4 miles, moderate difficulty.
Oct. 14: 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m., Ikebana Youngstown will host this workshop led by grand master Shirley Winkler. Beginning and advanced students will learn to arrange flowers in a Japanese style. Flowers and supplies provided. Call (330) 740-7116 to register. Fee: $20 R, $26 NR.
Oct. 16: 7:30-8:30 p.m., Mahoning Valley Rose Society will have a fall meeting at Fellows Riverside Gardens. The program topic will be rose arranging. Call (330) 740-7116 to register. Fee: $5 R, $7 NR.
Oct. 17: 10 a.m. or 12:30 p.m., and Oct. 18, 10 a.m.: Find out how opossums and other wildlife are getting ready for winter. For preschoolers ages 3-5 and their adult companions. Story, craft and an outdoor walks scheduled. Call (330) 740-7107 to register. Fee: $2 R, $3 NR.
Oct. 18: 12:30-2 p.m., program for kindergartners and first-graders includes a special story about autumn, a craft, a hike and hands-on activities. Call (330) 740-7107 to register. Fee: $3R, $4 NR.
Oct. 18: 6-8 p.m., Halloween at the Morley Pavilion, Wick Recreation Area. Activities include a "mummy" wrap competition for families followed by the pie-eating contest for adults. Visit the extinct species graveyard or walk along the Superstition Trail, where you'll get some candy from a friendly witch. Magic and illusions performed by Joseph Glenn at 6:30 p.m. Children of all ages will want to come dressed for the costume contest held on stage at 7:15 p.m.
Oct. 19: 2 p.m., bike ride to the MetroParks Bikeway's southern end. Safety helmet required. Call (330) 740-7107 to register. Meet at Kirk Road Trailhead. About 13 miles.
Oct. 22: 6-8 p.m., create a grapevine wreath decorated with Chinese lanterns. Instruction provided by Dolly Vivalo. Call (330) 740-7116 to register. Fee: $25 R, $32 NR.
Oct. 25: 9 a.m.-3 p.m., garden cooking symposium. Chef Bryan Severns, instructor at the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont, will cook and share recipes made with vegetables and fruits from the fall garden. The program includes lunch catered by David Armstrong followed by hands-on activities. Call (330) 740-7116 to register. Fee: $45 ($35 Friends of Fellows Riverside Garden members).
Oct. 25: 1-4 p.m., discover the variety of nuts and berries that are harvested in late summer and autumn. Short video presentation followed by a short hike to identify trees, shrubs and other plants that provide of wild edibles. Call (330) 740-7107 to register.
Oct. 25: 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., members of the Northcoast Bernese Mountain Dog Club will bring their dogs to participate in field tests for cart pulling and freight hauling.
Oct. 26: 1:30 p.m., step back in time as the park system honors the struggles of quarry workers of the early 1900s. Foster Brown portrays the difficult life of a quarry man through song and story. Held at Fellows Riverside Gardens.
Oct. 28: 10-11 a.m. or 1-2 p.m., preschoolers 3- to 5- years-old with their adult companions will learn about honeybees. Children will make a bee mask, sample honey snacks and visit the Vanishing Pollinators exhibit. Call (330) 740-7107 to register. Fee: $5.
Oct. 28: 7 p.m., Heather Moser of Mahoning Soil and Water Conservation District will be the guest speaker at this monthly meeting of the Audubon Society/Mahoning Valley. Learn about conservation projects in the Mill Creek and Yellow Creek watersheds. Also, find out how conservation easements are being used to preserve habitat. Call (330) 783-6787 for more information. Held at MetroParks Farm.
Oct. 30: 6:30-8:30 p.m., park naturalists will unravel the facts and folklore about chestnuts, chinquapins, horse chestnuts and buckeyes. A sampling of treats made with wild nuts will follow a slide presentation. Call (330) 740-7116 to register. Fee $10R, $14 NR.