MILL CREEK METROPARKS \ September activities

Rundown of events scheduled in September at Mill Creek MetroParks.
Sept. 1: 9 a.m. Health and wellness walk. Meet at Ford Nature Center. Moderate difficulty, four miles.
* 7 p.m. Jazz concert with the John Reese Project. Judge Morley Pavilion. Lawn seating.
Sept. 4: 9:30 a.m. Did you know that there are aliens living in Mill Creek Park? Find out about these plant and animal invaders when we hike around Lake Cohasset. Meet at Ford Nature Center. Moderate difficulty with hills and steps, three miles.
Sept. 5: 1-3 p.m. Join park naturalists for a kayak trip through the Newport Wetlands. Meet at East Newport Boat Launch. Call (330) 740-7107 for information. Reservations must be made 24 hours before the program. Fee: $12/first person resident, $15/first person nonresident; second person in tandem kayak half-price.
Sept. 7, 14, 21 and 28: 5:30-7 p.m. Reduce stress and relax while learning the basics of energizing yoga movements taught by Heidi Suraci. For students in intermediate and Level 2. Call (330) 740-7116 to register. Fee: $36.
Sept. 8: 7 p.m. Concert with Easy Street Productions ("An Evening of Favorites"). Judge Morley Pavilion. Lawn seating.
Sept. 9, 16, 23 and 30: 8:30-10 a.m. or 5:30-7 p.m. Yoga movements taught by Heidi Suraci. Gentle yoga and Level 1 students. Call (330) 740-7116 to register. Fee: $36.
Sept. 10: 7 p.m. Flashlight hike. Bring your flashlight for the evening hike through the Mill Creek Gorge. We'll look for owls and other night denizens. Meet at Scholl Recreation Area parking lot. Moderate difficulty with hills and steps, three miles.
Sept. 12: 2 p.m. The country of Romania may be thousands of miles away from the park, but we have some plants and animals in common. Learn about these similarities and a little of the Romanian language. Meet at Ford Nature Center. Moderate difficulty with hills, two miles.
Sept. 12: 1-2 p.m. Celebrate Grandparents' Day. Children 6 and up with their favorite companions will make dried flower arrangements in hand-shaped baskets -- a perfect gift for grandparents. Call (330) 740-7116 to register. Fee: $6.
* 2:30-3:30 p.m. Preschoolers are invited to bring their grandparents to storytime in the Family Garden and enjoy an activity to celebrate Grandparents Day. Call (330) 740-7116 to register.
Sept. 14: 7 p.m. Concert with John Gabriele, a one-man variety band, at Capt. John Struthers Pavilion, Yellow Creek Park, Struthers. Lawn seating.
* 6:30-8:30 p.m. Ornamental onions are a beautiful and stately addition to the flower border and easy to grow. Gordon Vujevic will introduce you to elegant members of the onion family and explain their growing habits. Take home a bulb sampling of three different varieties. Call (330) 740-7116 to register. Fee: $15 R, $20 NR.
Sept. 15: 9 a.m. health and wellness walk. Meet at MetroParks Bikeway trailhead at MetroParks Farm. Moderate difficulty, two or four miles.
Sept. 15, 22, 29 and Oct. 6, 13 and 20: 6:30-8:30 p.m. Learn the art of flower arranging, including basic design principles and floral techniques, during this six-session workshop. Deby Clark will demonstrate preparation of flowers, greens and containers and will guide each participant in creating five arrangements. Call (330) 740-7116 to register. Fee: $120 R; $156 NR.
Sept. 17: 10 a.m. or 12:30 p.m. Preschoolers 3-5 years old with their parents are invited to learn about chipmunks. Fun activities include a craft and a short walk in the woods to look and listen for chipmunks. Call (330) 740-7107 to register. Fee: $2 R, $3 NR.
Sept. 17: 8:30-10 a.m. Breakfast botany. Start your morning with a brisk walk in the Fellows Riverside Gardens to admire plants belonging to the sunflower family, such as asters and dahlias. Return to the Garden Cafe to learn more while enjoying a light breakfast. Call (330) 740-7116 to register. Fee: $6 R, $8 NR.
Sept. 18: 10 a.m. Preschoolers 3-5 years old with their parents are invited to learn about chipmunks. Fun activities include a craft and a short walk in the woods to look and listen for chipmunks. Call (330) 740-7107 to register. Fee: $2 R, $3 NR.
Sept. 18: 5-8 p.m. Bring the family to the MetroParks Farm for this fall celebration. We'll have horse-drawn wagon rides, campfire entertainment with folk singer Jon Mosey and freshly made apple butter and cider. Kids will visit farm animals, search for toys in a haystack and find their way through a cornfield maze. You can roast marshmallows, participate in a sack race or an egg toss, stroll through the AgVenture exhibit barn, and see the giant train display presented by the Western Reserve Modular Railroad Club. Bring lawn chairs or blankets for sitting by the campfire.
* 8 a.m. start. Par 3 Golf 2-Person Ball Tournament. Golfers will play 18 holes at the Par 3 Golf Course. Lunch and cash prizes are included. Call the Par 3 Course to register beginning Wednesday. Fee: $20/team.
* Noon-5 p.m. Garden Forum Flower Show presented by Garden Forum of Greater Youngstown. Show schedules are available one month before the show. Entries must be received Sept. 18 by 10:30 a.m.; judging follows immediately. The public is encouraged to enter flower shows.
Sept. 19: 1-3 p.m. End the summer season with a relaxing kayak excursion around Lake Newport. Meet at East Newport Boat Launch. Call (330) 740-7107 for information. Reservations must be made 24 hours before program. Fee: $12/first person R, $15/first person NR; second person in tandem kayak half-price.
*10 a.m.-5 p.m. Garden Forum Flower Show presented by Garden Forum of Greater Youngstown. Show Schedules are available one month before the show. Entries must be received Sept. 18 by 10:30 a.m.; judging follows immediately.
Sept. 25: 1-3 p.m. Join Marian Sebastiano from Salt Box Gallery for this wreath-making workshop. Parents and their children will decorate 12-inch refillable grapevine wreaths with bird treats. Each child must be accompanied by an adult. Children must be 5 and older. Afterward you will enjoy an edible treat fit for a bird. Registration and fee are due at Ford Nature Center by Sept. 15. Fee: $22.50 R, $17.50 for second wreath; $25 NR, $20 for second wreath.
Sept. 25: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Nationally recognized photographer Ian Adams will conduct this Friends of Fellows Riverside Gardens' seminar on digital photography. Learn how to produce exhibit-quality nature prints and how to prepare digital garden photographs for e-mail attachments, Web site pages and PowerPoint presentations. Call (330) 740-7116 to register. Fee: $45 ($35 FFRG members), includes lunch.
Sept. 26: 2 p.m. Enjoy the first days of fall on this hike through Yellow Creek Park, Struthers. We'll collect several varieties of leaves and then make leaf prints to take home. Meet at Capt. John Struthers Pavilion. Moderate difficulty with hills and steps, one mile.
Sept. 28: 7 p.m. Audubon Mahoning Valley. Learn how to transform areas of your back yard into a haven for wildlife. Ellen Speicher will present, "Creating a Wildlife-Friendly Yard: From Planning to Planting" at this monthly meeting. The public is welcome to all Audubon meetings. Social time begins at 6:30 p.m.; program starts at 7 p.m. at the MetroParks Farm.
Sept. 30: 10, 10:45 or 11:30 a.m. Pretend to be baby rabbits and make an ear-raising craft at this program designed for 2-year-olds and their adult companions. Call (330) 740-7107 to register.
* 7 p.m. Informational Travel Meeting-England 2005. A travel agent will discuss the details of the Friends of Fellows Riverside Gardens' May 2005 excursion to England's finest public and private gardens. The itinerary includes Britain's premier horticulture show -- the Chelsea Flower Show in London. Participants also will see the gardens of Surrey, Kent and Sussex, Sissinghurst, and Great Dixter, the home of famous garden writer Christopher Lloyd. Call (330) 740-7116 to register.