Greater Harrisburg's Community Magazine

Outdoors in October: You needn’t drive far for some nature-loving fun.

Wildwood Lake

Wildwood Lake

It’s autumn. Time to pack away the swim trunks and shorts and pull out those fall sweaters. The days and nights in our area are becoming cooler, but there’s still plenty of ways to enjoy the great outdoors.

Both Wildwood Park in Harrisburg and the Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art in Millersburg offers a full schedule of events for October that is likely to please just about everyone in the family.

“Our goal is to connect people with nature and art,” said Alexis Dow Campbell, director of creative programming for the Ned Smith Center, which honors the namesake artist, writer and naturalist.

The center features art galleries, an education center, an observational beehive and a new outdoor amphitheater. Its rustic 535 acres of woodlands offer 12 miles of hiking trails with magnificent views for autumn leaf-peepers and those who like to venture into nature during the welcoming October weather.

The center also will host a variety of special events this month.

On Oct. 3, the center will hold its 22nd annual Wildlife Art Auction, an all-day event in the Ned Smith Gallery. Dow Campbell said it’s the largest auction of Ned Smith’s artwork in the United States.

A week later, on Oct. 10, the center will put on its annual Fall Family Fun Day. Activities will include live animal presentations, face painting, pumpkin bowling and more.

“This is something for the whole family,” Dow Campbell said. “It’s a traditional fall festival, but it’s also an educational and fun day. We always have a great turnout each year.”

This year’s festival theme is “animal tracks.” Visitors can learn how to identify the tracks of various creatures in the woods or make fall crafts with an animal-track theme. ZooAmerica representatives will be on hand with an array of birds, particularly raptors, and small mammals like “de-scented skunks,” Dow Campbell added.

A Ned Smith Center Express Train and a horse-drawn hayride will be available to transport visitors around the center’s expansive grounds in upper Dauphin County.

Later in the month, on Oct. 31, the center will host its annual Halloween Owls program, which features live owls from Penn State University’s Shaver’s Creek Environmental Learning Center. Owl experts will present facts and explore myths about the nocturnal creatures, while certified bird-banders will net and band wild migrant owls and discuss their efforts to learn more about these birds of prey.

Off to Wildwood

Throughout the year, Wildwood Park is a popular outdoors spot for Harrisburg-area residents.

During autumn, the 229-acre park truly comes into its glory, with hikers, runners and nature-lovers all flocking to its six miles of trails, 1½ miles of boardwalks, 90-acre lake and the Benjamin Olewine III Nature Center.

To add to the outdoors experience, this month workers are putting the finishing touches on a new, 200-foot section of trail in front of the nature center, said park Manager Chris Rebert.

“This makes it safer for our park users,” he said. “It delineates our trail users away from (the nature center’s) vehicular traffic. That’s something that’s been a real traffic concern.”

The project was made possible by $140,000 received from Friends of Wildwood, the Olewine Family, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Dauphin County Department of Community and Economic Development.

As a further safety measure, speed bumps for vehicular traffic are being installed on the road leading from the park’s main entrance on Industrial Road to the nature center. That project is expected to be completed by early October, Rebert said.

Also this month, restoration work is scheduled to begin on the Fox Run Bridge near the park’s spillway. Rebert said the bridge dates to the early 1900s, the same as much of the trail. That project is expected to be completed by winter.

Event-wise, Wildwood Park will host a free fall foliage walk on Oct. 18, the day the autumn leaves are expected to reach peak color. An environmental educator will lead the walk and explain why leaves change color as visitors soak in the annual visual display. Preregistration isn’t required.

Wildwood’s Magical Trail takes place a few days later, on Oct. 22 and 23. Held after the school day, children and adults will encounter the park’s costumed “talking animals” that include a white-tailed deer, a turtle, a frog and a great horned owl.

“This is one of our most popular programs,” Rebert said. “It’s pretty exciting for the 2- to 7-year-olds.”

The evening ends with a campfire, s’mores and apple cider. The cost is $8 per person and pre-registration is required.

“It’s not something that’s scary, it’s informative,” said Rebert. “The animals talk about their evening activities and what they do at night.”

On Oct. 27, the park will hold its first Full Moon Halloween Hike. Walkers should meet at the Olewine Pavilion near the nature center. The guided, 1.5-mile walk is considered easy for all ages and will follow the park’s north boardwalk. Pre-registration isn’t required.

“The full moon will be rising then, so you won’t really need a flashlight for the walk,” Rebert said. “You can hear fall insects make interesting droning sounds, too.”

 

The Ned Smith Center is located at 176 Water Company Rd., Millersburg. For a complete list of fall activities, visit www.nedsmithcenter.org.

Wildwood Park is located at 100 Wildwood Way, Harrisburg. For a complete list of fall activities, visit www.wildwoodlake.org.

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