MILL CREEK METROPARKS May calendar of events and activities

May 2: 5:30-8 p.m., local artists Lynn Cardwell and Marcie Applegate will help members of the class create two botanically inspired projects -- a pendant that will be kiln-fired and a textured earthenware wall vase. Projects will be ready to take home May 11. Call Fellows Riverside Gardens to register. Fee: $30 residents of Mahoning County, $39 for nonresidents.
May 5: 7 p.m., Ballet Western Reserve and the Friends of Fellows Riverside Gardens will present an evening of nature-inspired dance in the Daniel L. Rossi Auditorium. Hors d'oeuvres, dessert and conversation will enhance the evening. Call Fellows Riverside Gardens to register. Fee: $50.
May 5: 7 p.m., celebrate National Bike Month with this presentation by Julie Schmidtt of the Great Ohio Bike Adventure. GOBA offers a one-week bicycle vacation through sections of Ohio to learn about the Buckeye State from the seat of a bicycle. Schmidtt is one of GOBA's photographers and her presentation will include slides of Ohio's people and landscape. Co-sponsored by the Outspokin' Wheelmen. Held at MetroParks Farm in Canfield.
May 6: 1:30-3 p.m., children 6 and older with their adult companions will plant terra-cotta pots brimming with violas and learn the history, care and uses of the springtime plant. Call Fellows Riverside Gardens to register. Fee: $9 R, $12 NR.
May 5 or 6: Friday 11 a.m. to noon or 1-2 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. to noon, Johnny-Jump-Ups have a name that is easy to remember. After planting a basket of these cheerful flowers, each preschooler with an adult will learn the names of other springtime blooming plants. Call Fellows Riverside Gardens to register. Fee: $5 R, $7 NR.
May 6, May 13 & amp; May 20: 8 a.m., bird walks. Explore Newport Wetlands. Bring binoculars. Meet at Newport Wetlands parking lot. Easy rating, less than 1 mile.
May 7: Noon to 5 p.m., Dahlia Society's Plant & amp; Tuber Sale.
May 7: 2 p.m., a search for wildflowers during a hike on East Cohasset Trail. Meet at Ford Nature Center. Moderate difficulty, 3 miles.
May 7: 2-3:30 p.m., guided tour of Fellows Riverside Gardens. A guide will point out highlights while sharing anecdotes and history. Sign in at the information desk on the afternoon of the tour.
May 7: 1-4 p.m., take a tractor-wagon tour of the MetroParks Farm and learn about the newly planted fields. Children will plant a small container to take home. Group tours of the farm are by appointment. Call the farm to make your reservation.
May 9: 6:30-8:30 p.m., Gordon Vujevic will show slides of tropical plants and discuss their care for your home garden. Take home an elephant ear bulb and a voodoo lily bulb to add to your perennials. Call Fellows Riverside Gardens to register. Fee: $16 R, $21 NR.
May 9, 17, 23 & amp; 31: Tuesdays at 6 p.m. Wednesdays at 9 a.m. Health and Wellness Walks. May 9, meet at MetroParks Bikeway trailhead at MetroParks Farm. Moderate difficulty, 2 or 4 miles; May 17, meet at Ford Nature Center. Moderate difficulty, 4 miles; May 23, meet at Yellow Creek Park Office, Struthers. Moderate difficulty with hills and steps, 1, 2 or 3 miles; May 31, meet at Golf Course overflow parking lot. Easy rating, 1 or 3 miles.
May 11: 6:30-8:30 p.m., Marie Borocz helps you create an attractive, colorful centerpiece for Mother's Day. Call Fellows Riverside Gardens to register. Fee: $25 R, $32 NR.
May 13: 10 a.m., discussion on the books "The City of Ember" and "The People of Sparks." Held at Ford Nature Center.
May 13: 8-11 a.m., explore the seasons of Fellows Riverside Gardens through a camera lens with local photographer Patrick Hyland. The series of four workshops is geared for beginner and intermediate students with practical knowledge of either digital or 35mm cameras. An emphasis will be placed on composition and the elements of nature. Each three-hour session will include a lecture, handouts and photographing opportunities. Call Fellows Riverside Gardens to register. Fee: $20 R/per session, $26 NR/per session.
May 13 & amp; 14: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Garden Forum of Greater Youngstown will host the spring sale featuring an unusual assortment of hanging baskets and bedding plants.
May 14: Noon, 2 or 4 p.m., Mother's Day buffet at Fellows Riverside Gardens catered by the Georgetown. Afterward take a walk in the Gardens to enjoy the spring flowers. Call the Garden Cafe at (330) 740-7074 for reservations and prices.
May 14: 1 p.m., 10-mile hike around Lakes Cohasset and Newport. Bring a water bottle. Meet at Ford Nature Center. Difficult rating because of length.
May 16: 5:30-8 p.m., Lynn Cardwell will teach students to construct a clay bowl embossed with leaf patterns. The work will be glazed, fired and ready to take home June 6. Call Fellows Riverside Gardens to register. Fee: $25 R, $32 NR.
May 16-18: 6-8 p.m., adults learn to golf Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays. Basic instruction or a great refresher course for any golfer. Call the pro shop to register. Fee: $35R, $45NR.
May 18: 10, 10:45 or 11:30 a.m., 2-year-olds and their adult companions are invited to learn about rabbits with the interactive program that features stories, a scavenger hunt and a song. Call Ford Nature Center to register.
May 18-20: Plant sale, 4-7 p.m., May 18 (special preview for FFRG members); 9 a.m.-7 p.m., May 19, and 9 a.m.-3 p.m., May 20, open to the public. Perennial, including those for the shade garden, will be available in addition to annuals, herbs, shrubs, vegetables and summer bulbs. Stop by the garden-tool garage sale too, for a wide selection of used tools.
May 19-20: Preschoolers ages 3-5 and their favorite adults will learn what wild baby animals and their parents are doing in the spring, through activities, a story, short walk and craft. Preregister and get times at Ford Nature Center. Fee: $2 R, $3 NR
May 20: 8 a.m.-2 p.m., enjoy bird walks for adults and children, live birds of prey and environmental displays. Bird walks begin at 8 a.m.; displays will be open at 9 a.m. Held at Newport Wetlands. Sponsored by Audubon Society Mahoning Valley and Mill Creek MetroParks. For a complete schedule of events, call (330) 783-6287 or visit the Web site http://members.cboss/audubonmv.
May 20: 10 a.m., native plant walk as part of the celebration of migratory bird day. Held at Newport Wetlands. Easy rating, 1 mile.
May 20-21: Garden Forum Spring Flower Show. Public entries must be received by 10:30 a.m. May 20. Call FRG for more information. Show is from noon-5 p.m. May 20; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. May 21. Presented by Garden Forum of Greater Youngstown.
May 21: 2 p.m., a hike to look for wetland flora and fauna hike through Hitchcock Woods. Meet at Deerpath Drive off Hitchcock Road. Muddy conditions, 2 miles.
May 21: 2 p.m., join Julie Thomas in the Tara Dance. Call Fellows Riverside Gardens to register. Fee: $10.
May 21: 1-4 p.m., the 4-H Capriculturalist Club members are preparing their goats for the Canfield Fair. Join us at the MetroParks Farm to make goat milk soap.
May 23-25: 6-8 p.m., adult learn to golf Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays. Call the pro shop to register. Fee: $35R, $45NR.
May 26: 8:30-10 a.m., start your morning with a brisk Gardens walk. Return to the Garden Cafe for a light breakfast and learn more about the family of plants from the Saxifrage family that includes astilbe and coral-bells. Call Fellows Riverside Gardens to register. Fee: $6 R, $8 NR
May 26: 9 p.m., walks to listen to frogs. Flashlights are permitted; boots are recommended. Meet at Vickers Nature Preserve. Easy rating, 1 mile.
May 28: 2 p.m., hike from Austintown to Canfield along the MetroParks Bikeway and explore the 150-acre Brocker Preserve -- home to diverse plants and animals. Be prepared for muddy conditions. Meet at MetroParks Bikeway trailhead at Kirk Road. Moderate difficulty because of length and terrain, 5 miles.
May 28: 1-4 p.m., bring your family and try your luck in this scavenger hunt around the MetroParks Farm. Complete the hunt and claim a prize. Call the farm to make your reservation.
May 30-June 1: 6-8 p.m., adults learn to golf Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays. Call the pro shop to register. Fee: $35R, $45NR.
EXHIBITS
Fellows Riverside Gardens, Davis Education & amp; Visitors Center: Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
May-June 4: Floating Works, Weller Gallery. Giant water color blossoms painted by nationally know artist Gary Bukovnik will delight visitors. This exhibit is underwritten by the John and Doris Andrews Memorial Education Endowment.
May: Charles Elliot, Landscape Architect, Melnick Museum. This prominent Boston landscape architect hired by Volney Rogers was influential in the early design of roads and paths around Lake Cohasset in Mill Creek Park.
Yoga at Fellows Riverside Gardens: May 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30; May 4, 11, 18, 25; May 6,13, 20 and 27. Tuesdays, 5:30-7 p.m.; Thursdays, 8:30-10 a.m. and 5:30-7 p.m.; Saturdays, 8:30-10 a.m. Reduce stress and relax while learning the basics of energizing yoga movements taught by Heidi Suraci. Fee: $9 per class.