MILL CREEK METROPARKS November calendar

Activities slated at Mill Creek MetroParks:

Nov. 1, 8, 15 & 29: 8:30-10 a.m. and 5:30-7 p.m. (beginner level). Yoga at Fellows Riverside Gardens. Learn a blend of yoga styles with instructor Heidi Suraci. Students of all levels are welcome. Bring a mat, small blanket and bottled water. Call (330) 740-7116 for information. Fee: $10 per class.

Nov. 1, 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, 27 & 29: 10-11 a.m. Silver Sneakers. Have fun and move to the music through a variety of exercises designed to increase muscular strength, range of movement and activity for daily living skills. Hand-held weights, elastic tubing with handles and a ball are offered for resistance. A chair is used for seated and/or standing support. Held in classroom A at the MetroParks Farm.

Nov. 2: 11 a.m.-noon or 1-2 p.m. Harvest Broom. Each preschooler age 3-5 with their favorite adult will make a bouquet of dried flowers to decorate a harvest broom, sample a snack and enjoy a story. Call (330) 740-7116 to register. Fee: $5 R, $7 NR.

Nov. 2 & 3: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Shop in the Gardens Holiday Open House. Enjoy this opportunity to purchase gifts for your family and friends. Shop for garden-related items, jewelry, accessories and home decor.

Nov. 3: 2-4 p.m. Kayak finale. Join us for our final kayak trip of the year. The special excursion is subject to certain weather/temperature conditions. Not for first-time kayakers. Single and tandem kayaks are available. Age restrictions apply. Reservations and payment must be made 36 hours before program. Call (330) 740-7107 for information. Meet at East Newport Boat Launch. Fee: $12/person R; $15/person NR; second person in tandem kayak 1⁄2 price.

Nov. 4: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Shop in the Gardens Holiday Open House (see Nov. 2).

Nov. 4: 1 p.m. Dr. Ray Beiersdorfer, Youngstown State University’s award-winning professor of geology and environmental sciences, will lead us on a petrological tour of the building stones in downtown Youngstown and YSU campus. The hike will end with a visit to the Clarence R. Smith Mineral Museum. Park and meet at the main public library on Wick Ave. Easy rating, one mile.

Nov. 4: 1-4 p.m. Although the MetroParks farm is closed for the season, agriculture is important all year. We’ll share a special harvest story for the Thanksgiving holiday. Children can make a turkey craft to take home.

Nov. 6, 13, 20 & 27: 8:30-10 a.m. (beginner level) & 5:30-7 p.m. Yoga at Fellows Riverside Gardens. (See Nov. 1 for details).

Nov. 6 & 13: 5:30-8 p.m. During the first class session, Lynn Cardwell will assist students in constructing a vase and decorative beads. A faux bronze patina will be painted on the vase at the second session. Beads and raffia or leather cord will embellish the work. The vase will look like metal when completed. Call (330) 740-7116 to register. Fee: $39 ($30 FFRG members).

Nov. 7: 9 a.m. Health & Wellness Walk. Meet at MetroParks Bikeway Trailhead at Kirk Road. Moderate difficulty, 2 or 4 miles.

Nov. 9: 10 a.m. or 12:30 p.m. and 10 a.m. Nov. 10, preschoolers ages 3-5 and their parents will learn about turkeys through a story, craft and activities. Preregister at Ford Nature Center. Fee: $2 R, $3 NR.

Nov. 10: 11 a.m.-noon. Harvest Broom. (see Nov. 2 for details).

Nov. 10: 1:30-3 p.m. Experience the thrill of watching an amaryllis grow at an astonishing rate. Each child age 6 and up with an adult companion will learn about this dramatic plant, decorate a container and plant a bulb that will add color and pizazz to the holidays. Call (330) 740-7116 to register. Fee; $10 R, $13 NR.

Nov. 11: 2 p.m. Veterans Day Hike. Veterans and their families and friends are invited to hike Yellow Creek Park in Struthers, which features a miniature version of the Mill Creek Gorge. Meet at Yellow Creek Park Office. Moderate difficulty with hills and steps, one mile.

Nov. 11: 2 p.m. Join us for the viewing of photographs of Fellows Riverside Gardens which illustrate the 2008 Fellows Riverside Gardens 50th anniversary commemorative calendar. Local nature photographer Scott Lanz will share his photos, provide details on where, when and how the images were taken, and give tips on improving your flora and garden photography. Refreshments will be served after the program. Call (330) 740-7116 to register for this free lecture.

Nov. 15: 10, 10:45 or 11:30 a.m. Two-year-olds will explore a play cave, search for food and learn what it means to be a bear. There will be a story, craft and plenty of role-playing games. One adult must accompany every child or family. Call (330) 740-7107 to register.

Nov. 16: 8:30-10 a.m. Start the morning with a garden walk in the crisp autumn air and admire the evergreens. Return to the Garden Cafe to have a light breakfast and learn about plants that retain their leaves throughout the winter. Call (330) 740-7116 to register. Fee: $6 R, $8 NR.

Nov. 17: 10 a.m. The Omnivore’s Dilemma. Read Michael Pollan’s “The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals” and join this naturalist-led discussion. Meet at Ford Nature Center.

Nov. 18: 2 p.m. Attend a scavenger hunt to learn about birds. Meet at Ford Nature Center. Moderate difficulty, 3 miles.

Nov. 20: 6:30-8:30 p.m. Highlight your Thanksgiving table with an unusual cornucopia filled with a bounty of chrysanthemums, dried wheat and miniature pumpkins. Marie Borocz will help you create this elegant holiday centerpiece. Call (330) 740-7116 to register. Fee: $25 R, $32 NR.

Nov. 21: 9 a.m. Health & Wellness Walk. Meet at MetroParks Bikeway Trailhead at MetroParks Farm. Moderate difficulty, 2 or 4 miles.

Nov. 24: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Olde Fashioned Christmas at the Mill. You can taste chestnuts roasted on an open fire, give Santa your wish list, purchase gifts and be entertained by a juggler, a bagpiper and other fine musicians. For more information, call (330) 740-7107.

11 a.m.-5 p.m. Victorian Christmas Display; One String Short, folk music; 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Kirk Kupensky, harpist; noon-2 p.m. Bob Spisak, juggler; 12:30-2:30 p.m. Mark Pringle, bagpiper; 1-3:30 p.m. Jon Mosey, folk music; 2:30-4:30 p.m. George Caban, balloon art).

Nov. 25: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Olde Fashioned Christmas at the Mill. (See Nov. 24). (11 a.m.-5 p.m. Victorian Christmas Display; One String Short, folk music; 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Crossties Duo, folk music; noon-2 p.m. Bob Spisak, juggler; 12:30-2:30 p.m. Mark Pringle, bagpiper; 2:30-4:30 p.m. George Caban, balloon art; 3-4:30 p.m. Kirk Kupensky, harpist).

Nov. 27: 7 p.m. Audubon Society/Mahoning Valley. Maria Urso, grass-roots coordinator for Audubon Ohio, will present “Protecting the Great Birds of the Great Lakes.” Learn what is happening to the birds in our region and what you can do to help. Social time begins at 6:30 p.m.; presentation begins at 7 p.m. For more information, call 1 (888) 846-8851. Held at MetroParks Farm.

EXHIBITS

Fellows Riverside Gardens, Davis Education & Visitor Center. Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday.

Weller Gallery: “The Season of Roses & Wine.” Artist Marsha Antonucci portrays the elegance and beauty of the flower that captures people’s hearts, the rose, in her oil paintings, through Nov. 11; “Ohio’s Natural Landscapes: A Photographic Journey of the Buckeye State.” This traveling exhibit of Ohio’s finest photographers includes works by Ian Adams, Tim Daniel, Dave FitzSimmons, Jim Roetzel, Randall Schieber and Art Weber. View the diverse natural beauty found throughout the state, Nov. 16-Jan. 6.

Melnick Museum: Cross the Creeks: “Mill Creek Park’s Bridges.” The bridges of Mill Creek Park are often scenic highlights for visitors and photographers. Favorites include the Parapet Bridge, Suspension Bridge and Covered Bridge, through December.