Take a walk on the wild side at Cleveland Metroparks Nature at Night event on Saturday, October 18 from 4 - 9 p.m. at River Grove Reservable Picnic Area in North Chagrin Reservation. This free event celebrates the beauty of the forest after dark with a focus on nature and nocturnal animals. �Night owl� visitors can enjoy a variety of activities that will shed some light on the truth about �what goes bump in the night� myths. Books and movies often depict a walk in the woods at night as forbidding and scary. Stories tend to conjure up images of wild animals and frightening critters lurking and lying in wait among the trees. But what is fact based on natural science and what is just fun folklore? Nature at Night will help sort out fact from fiction through engaging activities suitable for all ages. Get up-close to live nocturnal animals from The Lake Erie Nature & Science Center. See barred, screech, great horned and saw whet owls, a flying squirrel, big brown bats, an opossum and skunk. A Touch Table provides opportunities for discovery with a variety of taxidermy mounts and animal pelts. Take a self-guided hike through the woods with several learning stations scattered along the way. Try a fun hands-on experiment demonstrating �eyeshine� or pupils that appear to glow in the dark by shining a flashlight on moths and spiders. A naturalist will be on-hand to explain the science behind this and other fascinating phenomena. Gaze up at the stars with a spellbinding night sky program hosted by Chris Mentrek, a naturalist at Observatory Park in the Geauga Park District. Use a telescope to view stars in the sky including a special solar scope that allows for safe viewing of the sun - Earth's closest star. Children can explore the park after dark through a variety of activities, games and easy make-and-take crafts. Every child receives a free glow-in-the-dark bracelet, too. T-shirts are available for purchase with an outline of various nocturnal animals. Kids can paint the shirts on-site using cool glow-in-the-dark paints.Enjoy outdoor recreation under the moon by playing a night game of soccer or volleyball using LED illuminated balls. Or relax and cozy up next to a fall campfire. Roast marshmallows, sing songs and tell traditional camp stories.The Girl Scouts will be selling food and beverages. For more information, visit clevelandmetroparks.com or call 440-473-3370.River Grove Reservable Picnic Area is located on Chagrin River Road between Wilson Mills Road and Route 91. -30-MEDIA CONTACTS:SUE ALLEN - 216-635-3338, sja@clevelandmetroparks.comHOLLY KECK - 216-635-3253, hak@clevelandmetroparks.com
