Friends Talk - February-March-April - 2011

Friends of the Lorain County Metro Parks, Inc.
FRIENDST@LK n_ws
FEBRUARY-MARCH-APRIL 2011
12882 Diagonal Rd., LaGrange, OH 44050
Make Your Reservation Now for the
Murder Mystery Dinner Theater
Reservations for the 2011 Mystery in the Park Murder
Mystery Dinner Theater will be accepted at (216) 5443865 beginning February 14th. Tickets are $30 for an individual, $58 per couple or $28 per person for groups of 8 or more.
Show dates are Fridays and Saturdays May 6, 7, 13, and
14. Seating is at 6:30 with dinner at 7:00.
More information about the play available on page 3.
Calling for Volunteers
CONTACT:
[email protected]
For any news related ideas...
2010-2011 Board of
Trustees-Leaders-Support
Staff
2010-2011 BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Cheryl June-President
Barb Fieger-Vice-President
Jennifer Lawson-Treasurer
Ruth Horvath-Recording Secretary
Fred Bartin
Pamela Pastor
Char Kline
Donna Lauffer
Beverly O’Hara
Paul Rothacker
Dave Smith
Open-Park Liaison
CORPS LEADERS
Donna Lauffer – Train Corps CVC
Charlotte Herstek – Lakeview Corps
Judy Sako – Wellington Corps
Marge and Bob Holland –
Public Information Corps
Ruth Horvath – Wildlife Observation Area
Pam Pastor – Raptor Corps
Sandra Gray – French Creek Corps
Char Kline – Columbia Station Corps
TEEN CORPS LEADERS
Cheryl June, Dave Smith, Elaine Clark
and Pam Pastor
SUPPORT STAFF
Patti Czipa – Hours Secretary
Dotty Moseley – Membership Secretary
Ruth Horvath – WOA Nature Nook
Al and Joyce Solderitsch –
French Creek Nature Nook
Marge and Bob Holland – French Creek
Nature Nook & Schoepfle Nature Nook
Eva Weber – Splash Zone
Sandy Pitts – Nature Nook Manager
Donna Wolf – Friends Event Volunteer
Provider
FRIENDSTALK
VOLUNTEER STAFF
Jennifer Lawson—Editor
Roger Brownson—Photographer
Bill Kingsley—Writer
Bev O’Hara—Circulation and Mailing
As many of you know the Metro Parks is anxiously awaiting the winter to be over to be able to
open and highlight the new park in Avon, the Miller Nature Preserve. There will be a visitor center,
patio, meeting room with demonstration kitchen area, gift shop, future trails and outdoor gardens,
and of course the main attraction the greenhouse. The greenhouse will be 50' x 100' and house
many collections of plants including bonsai, desert, tropical, and seasonal displays.
There will be many opportunities and options for you to volunteer at this great new facility.
To hear more on how/what you can do to volunteer please plan on registering and attending
one of the following meeting dates both held at Sandy Ridge Reservation, Johnson Wetland Center — Monday, February 28th, 7-8 pm (preregister by Feb 23); Thursday, March 24th, 7-8
pm (preregister by March 21). To preregister just call (440) 458-5121.
After many years, Marge and Bob Holland are stepping down as
Corps Leaders for the Public Information Corps. They have done a
wonderful job and we thank them!
We need to fill this position by February so Marge and Bob can train
whoever takes over. Bob assures me that the job is not difficult.
Those of you that help out already know what is involved. During
the spring, there are health fairs and events at schools that a table is
set up and manned by two volunteers. As the corps name says, you
pass out information and talk about the parks.
The big event that needs to be filled is the Lorain County Fair. They
tell me that scheduling volunteers for this is not an issue. We usually have more people that
want to volunteer than we have spots.
The person interested would be working closely with Sarah Sharp of the metro parks and
would be responsible for scheduling volunteers for the upcoming public information events.
Marge and Bob Holland will be happy to answer any other questions you might have.
Please email me at: [email protected] if you would like to help. We need to fill
this position as soon as possible!
A Note from Our New Friends Event Volunteer Provider
Hi!
My name is Donna Wolf. I've been a volunteer for 3 years and have actually gotten
a promotion! I am the new volunteer scheduler/coordinator for making contact with the
Friends volunteers. I will be the person calling and looking for volunteers to help with
the different functions that Friends participates in.
In order to do my job efficiently, I need your help. If you have a new phone number
or have switched to using a cell phone, have a change of home address, or changed
your email address, please contact me with the new information by contacting me at
440/324-7674 or by email at [email protected].
On the same note, if I don't call you and you want to volunteer, CALL ME! And, if
you need to cancel, please let me know so I can find a replacement.
Looking forward to volunteering with you all!
2—FriendsTalk
It was a fabulous fall and Holiday Season. The Halloween
Fair had record breaking attendance. A big thank you to everyone that participated in the Halloween Fair, we really could
not do it without all the dedicated volunteers and the park staff.
Right on the heels of the Halloween Fair we started Holiday
Lights. Again I want to thank all of you that helped to decorate the Friends display on the trail. We had a lot of help this
year and we GREATLY appreciate all of you!
Holiday Lights started right after Thanksgiving. A number of volunteers showed up to help set up the Black River
room on Friday and we thank you! We got done in record time. I want to thank Donna Wolf for making all the phone
calls to set up the schedule for Holiday Lights. I also want to thank Ruth Horvath and ALL the nightly leaders and volunteers for their never ending devotion to Friends. You all ROCK! What a great bunch of volunteers we have! I am always humbled!
Breakfast with Santa was a success. Thank you to all the volunteers that helped! Wow! It seemed to run smoothly.
I also want to thank the volunteers for humoring me and staying to have their picture taken. It is an awesome picture
and I hope to use it on the Web site and in the orientation paperwork.
Now to bring up the web site; the Park has asked us to take a look at what is on the site in an effort to update what is
there and improve what we see. If there is anyone that would like to help with that job, please let me know. Roger
Brownson has been supplying new pictures and I plan on using some of them on the web site. We are going to make it
more user friendly for the Friends Volunteers. We have ideas to add a link to time sheets, volunteer opportunities, contact for your corps leaders, etc. Also, the application section is going to be upgraded. In other words, we could use help
and ideas.
Well, spring is around the corner and the Maple Sugaring will begin the end of February. Keep in mind we have two
pancake breakfasts during Maple Sugaring. If you want to help in the Sugar Shack or with the breakfasts, please let
Donna Wolf know.
On a sad note, some of you might already know, but the Vice President of Friends, Matt Petraglia, resigned after Halloween Fair. I want to personally thank him for all his efforts on behalf of the Board and Friends. He was a tireless
worker and a big support for all of us. He will be greatly missed but we wish him all the best!
Barb Fieger has agreed to take over the Vice President position on the Board. A new member will be joining us in
January to fill the position that was vacated. If at any time you feel you would like to join us on the Board, please let one
of the Board members know. It is a very important job, and we can always use a fresh perspective.
Well, the letter is wordy and long, so I will close with my wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year to all of you! The
Board and I appreciate all of you!
Cheryl June
President
Notes from the
President
Photo courtesy of Paul Nowak, photographer who donated his valuable time for all of the great pictures with Santa Claus!
3—FriendsTalk
Pancake Breakfast in March
This event coincides with the maple sugaring program at the Sugar Shack (see the
January/February edition of the Arrowhead
for more information).
Friends will be hosting the breakfast on
February 27th and March 6th at Carlisle
Visitors Center. Times for both days are 9
a.m.-1 p.m.
Cost is $6.00 for adults; $3.50 for children
ages 2-10 years; and children under 2 eat
for free. Price includes pancakes, sausage,
juice and coffee.
Pure maple syrup will be available for
purchase on both days as well.
Fall Harvest
Pancake Breakfast
Plan on joining us either September 18th
or September 25th (date is not set in stone
yet) from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. for a yummy all-you
-can eat special pancake breakfast.
Why special you ask? Because the pancakes are either plain topped with strawberries or chocolate chips and whip cream or
you can have your choice of plain pancakes or blueberry. Along with sausage,
orange juice and coffee.
Volunteers are always
needed to help out with
these breakfasts.
Halloween
Walk
2011 Murder Mystery
Dinner Theatre
B-I-N-G-O Spells Murder by Robert
Mattson. Father O’Sullivan is desperate. But who wouldn’t be? The bank is
about to foreclose on his church buildings and orphanage. He’s got young
people struggling with questions about
love, developers struggling to turn the
house of God into condos, a gangster
struggling with the English language, and
a bookkeeper who’s just a struggle for
everyone. Plus, he’s hosting a Bingo
night as a last chance to raise enough
money to get himself out of this
mess. SO, what happens when his
bookkeeper is killed and the money is
stolen? It’s time for Father O’Sullivan to
“forgive and forget” nothing as he struggles to solve the crime.
Dates for this event are Fridays and
Saturdays May 6, 7, 13, and 14. Seating
is at 6:30 with dinner at 7:00.
See front page for information on
purchasing tickets for this fun event!
Volunteer Annual Dinner
Our annual volunteer dinner is
scheduled for Sunday, June 26th at
Carlisle Visitor Center. This event
starts at 3 p.m. with a business meeting followed by awards for the year
and then a scrumptious dinner catered by Sterk’s Catering. The cost for
the dinner will again be $5.00 for
members of Friends and nonmembers will be $12.00. Watch in the
next issue of FriendsTalk for registration information for this event. An
R.S.V.P will be required.
Also, in the next issue of Friends
Talk there will be a ballot for you to fill
out for the Volunteer of the Year for
2010-2011. So start thinking about
who you would like to nominate and
see get this outstanding award. The
rules and guidelines for this nomination have not changed and will be
spelled out as well.
In addition, your hours for the year
need to be turned in by May 1st. This
gives our hours secretary time
to culminate her information
and submit for all of the
year/hour pins.
2011
FRIENDS OF THE METRO PARKS
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
The Halloween Walk is
scheduled for Fridays and Saturdays,
October 14th and 15th; October 21st and
22nd; and October 28th and 29th from 5
p.m.-10 p.m. at Carlisle Visitors Center.
As always, many volunteers are needed
in order for this event to be a success.
Volunteers ranging from trail runners with
hot chocolate and coffee to keep our
ghosts and goblins warm, concession
volunteers, games for the little ones to
enjoy and a Halloween Nature Nook to
sell our “ghostly” merchandise.
Volunteers will need to be there by 3:30
p.m. if you need to get into costume and
by 4:30 p.m. for general help at any of the
stations listed above. Everyone is expected to sign in and wear a wrist band.
This is for your protection.
As always, please plan on staying at the
end of the night for a late dinner to warm
you up.
If you are interested in volunteering for
this event or would like more information,
please call Donna Wolf at (440) 324-7674
or email her at [email protected]
Any time you can give is appreciated.
You will not be expected to work all 6
nights of this event.
Holiday Lights
Our Holiday Lights event starts the
night after Thanksgiving and runs
through December 30th. Sunday thru
Thursday the event starts at 5:30 p.m.
thru 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday
starts at 5:30 p.m. and ends at 10 p.m.
Team leaders are needed for each
night of the event as well as additional
volunteers to help setup, make popcorn,
and sell hot chocolate, cookies and juice
to the general public. In addition to these
tasks, help is needed the day after
Thanksgiving down on the trail decorating our trees for the event. Then at the
end of this 6 week event, help is again
needed to take down all of our decorations, organize and make sure it all gets
put into the correct places in the storage
barns.
Again, if you are interested in more
information for this event or in just volunteering, please call Donna Wolf at (440)
324-7674
or
email
her
at
[email protected]
Any time you would like to donate is
appreciated.
Pancake
Breakfast with
Santa Claus
The Breakfast with Santa event will
be Saturday, December 10th. As always,
2 sittings will be available, one at 9 a.m.
and the other at 11:30 a.m. Cost for this
event will be $10.00 for everyone (children
under 2 years of age are free). Again, this
does not include your picture with Santa
Claus.
From the time the children walk in the
door with their parents, they are kept busy
coloring, playing games, making crafts
and listening to “The Night Before Christmas” being read to them. They are also
given an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast complete with pancakes, sausage and
juice.
The best part of the day is watching the
children go (some with fear but most with
excitement) to talk to Santa Claus and get
their picture taken.
As you can see there are a lot of events
going on at the same time and not just
once but twice. It is a fun event from the
time the children walk in the door until
they leave with their gift from Santa.
If you would like to be a part of this fun
event, call Donna Wolf at (440) 324-7674
or email her at [email protected].
4—FriendsTalk
Big Time Birding
By Bill Kingsley
When my wife and I returned from Florida last May, I went on-line to see what the Lorain County Metro Parks had planned for the
weekend. The “Guest Birding Series” at Sandy Ridge Reservation caught my eye because I knew that we were getting very close to
the end of the migratory bird season. As many of you know, certain species migrate south in the winter and then fly north in the
spring. The winter distribution of warblers, for example, places them in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and the West Indies. Magee Marsh, which is west of Port Clinton, attracts thousands of birders from all over the United States
the first two weeks of May because of these migratory patterns. The birds, on their flight north, have to follow the shoreline of Lake
Erie which makes that location a nationwide target in the spring for serious birders. However, what many people overlook is that
many of these birds also fly through Sandy Ridge Reservation on their way north.
The next question is “How popular is birding?” Let’s just say that when Roger Brownson and I arrived at Sandy Ridge Reservation, the parking lot was full. We had to park in the auxiliary lot. Larry Richardson, the guide for the bird walk, had already taken the
group on its way. Yes, Roger and I were a tad late. However, it only took us fifteen minutes to catch up to the birders. If you have
ever been in a birding group, you know that they move about 30 yards and then look for birds for a while. Then they move another 30
yards and stop to look for more birds. This group numbered well over fifty and was very enthusiastic about what they were doing.
Every walk at Sandy Ridge seems to bring something new. This time we saw at least 25 different birds. They ranged from the
common goldfinch to Baltimore Orioles, wood ducks, rose- breasted grosbeaks, killdeers, and Wilson Phalaropes. Throw in some
large turtles and a few deer and you have a very interesting morning.
Larry Richardson led the group and was excellent. His identifications and pertinent comments made the walk fun and educational.
This event was a major part of the bird watching program offered by the metro parks at Sandy Ridge. Jeannie Williams of Elyria has
been at Sandy Ridge every Wednesday morning at 7:30 a.m. for the reservation’s scheduled Wednesday Morning Birding program.
Thirty other birders joined her every week during the migratory season for this walking stick program. So this year, mark your calendars for birding in early May. Get some binoculars and join the group. Everyone loved it.
French Creek
Reservation in the
Winter Time
Photos by Roger Brownson
5—FriendsTalk
Strenuous Walk
By Bill Kingsley
The Lorain County Metro Parks’ program was entitled “Explore Carlisle: Hale Road.” People were to meet at the equestrian center and then take a “strenuous” four-mile hike. Since I had never been on a strenuous Metro Park hike before, I decided to get a couple of friends, have breakfast, and then take on this early August challenge.
We arrived at the equestrian center twenty minutes before the 10:00 a.m. hike starting time. The parking lot was full of horse trailers due to a 4H event that was taking place. Beautiful horses and riders in formal riding gear appeared to be everywhere. It was
quite a sight.
By 10:00 o’clock, approximately twenty hikers had arrived for the four-mile hike. Most were participating in the mile club rewards
program where walkers have their miles recorded. I recognized many of the participants from other programs this year. For two hikers, however, Guenther Thiedemann and his wife Lisa, members of the backpackers club, this was their first hike. After naturalist
Mary Ewers signed everyone’s cards which is a requirement for the program, we were ready to go on our sojourn. Mary told us that
we would be going on a trail that is basically unused because it goes nowhere. It meanders around a few hills and wetland ponds for
two miles and then abruptly ends. We were shown a map of where we were going, and then off we went.
As with most walks that attract large numbers of people, the group eventually divided into two smaller groups with the faster walkers setting a brisk pace, and the rest of us following them, taking time off to eat black raspberries from bushes on the side of the trail.
We even went off trail to the naturalist’s “secret stash” of blackberry bushes. These larger berries were quite tasty.
We did stop several times while the naturalist identified various types of fungi and told us what we could and could not eat. We
also saw tent worms, swallowtail butterflies, ironweed, joe-pye weed, and agrimony, a wild flower with short and long leaves. Normally, you just glance at these and keep on walking, but their histories are quite interesting. The joe-pye weed is considered an herb,
a wildflower, a butterfly plant, and a flower bed ornamental. I usually refer to it as eupatorium purpureum.
Agrimony is even better. It has an interesting medical history that dates back through the ages. It was a panacea to the Greeks who
used it for eye problems, diarrhea, and problems with the kidneys, gallbladder, and liver. Anglo-Saxons used the seeds and leaves to
make a solution that was used for healing wounds. In the United States in the 1800’s it was used for athlete’s foot, skin problems,
asthma, and a host of other ailments. According to folklore, if agrimony was placed under a person’s head, the person would go into a
deep sleep and stay there until it was removed.
As we continued the hike, the wetland ponds made perfect stopping areas where we saw wood duck houses, cattails, and many
visual aides that Mary brought with her including a large turtle shell and several hides.
Although relatively flat, the walk was strenuous. It was two miles to the end of the trail and two miles back. Where is a tram when
you really need one? The metro park has something for everyone. If you want an easy hike, they have it, and if you want a strenuous
hike that will test your skills, it is also available. Look in the Arrowhead on -line for a description and then start walking.
All Photos by Roger Brownson, Friends Photographer
6—FriendsTalk
Friends of Metro Parks
Polo Shirt Order Form
DON'T FORGET...If you want to purchase
a Friends of Metro Parks in Lorain
County polo shirt, give Cheryl June a call
at (440) 236-8362
or email Cheryl at
[email protected]
Size
Small
Medium
Large
X-Large
2X-Large
3X-Large
Qty
x
x
x
x
x
x
$
$
$
$
$
$
Price
20.00
20.00
20.00
20.00
22.50
22.50
Total
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=
=
=
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These shirts are by JERZEES. 90% cotton Ring-Spun, 10% polyester
and are for Friends of Metro Parks volunteers ONLY
We also have volunteer vest available for purchase. These vest are in limited stock at the Friends
office at the CVC. We will get them to the park of your choice for pickup.
Size
Medium
Large
X-Large
2X-Large
3X-Large
Qty
x
x
x
x
x
$
$
$
$
$
Price
5.00
5.00
5.00
5.00
5.00
Total
=
=
=
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You can also just fill out this form and mail your order to:
Friends of Metro Parks
Attn: Cheryl June
12882 Diagonal Rd
Grand Total
LaGrange, OH 44050
Preferred pick-up location for vest & shirts
Make checks payable to Friends of Metro Parks
Name:
PH#
Date
rev. Feb-11
VOLUNTEER TIME CARD
Please fill out and return to:
Friends of the Metro Parks, 12882 Diagonal Rd., LaGrange, OH 44050 Attn.: HOURS
Or Email Hours To: [email protected]
NAME:__________________________________________________________________________________________
ADDRESS:______________________________________________________________________________________
PHONE:_________________________________________________________________________________________
EMAIL:__________________________________________________________________________________________
PLEASE TURN IN HOURS ON A MONTHLY BASIS: HOURS FOR MONTH:_______________
Corps or Event
Activity or Reservation
Hours
7—FriendsTalk
BOOK SALE IN FEBRUARY
Visit the Bargain Book Bin for incredible savings on selected nature
book titles
Praying Mantis Hike
NATURE NOOK SPRING SALE
Visit Carlisle Visitors Center on April 15th, 16th or
17th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for a preview of new merchandise and sale items.
By Bill Kingsley
Sandy Ridge Reservation is a pretty neat place. As I was
waiting for the Praying Mantis hike to begin on a beautiful
August morning, I walked around the Visitors’ Center. On the
short walk, I saw many beautiful flowers, several large bumblebees, and a hummingbird. When I turned the corner, I
also saw fifteen small children and eight adults getting ready
for the planned activity.
Josh Michalski, the Land Steward for the park, was well
prepared. He brought out many butterfly nets for the children to use and several large plastic bottles for the captured
bugs. The crowd consisted of husbands and wives, individuals looking for miles for the 50/100 mile club, grandparents
and their grandchildren, and many mothers with daughters
and sons.
Everyone took nets and walked through the long grass—no trails were used. The kids
covered several acres with their nets in hand. By the end of the hike, the children had captured one praying mantis, several spiders, and a cricket. They even saw a small snake and
tagged and released three monarch butterflies.
This turned out to be a great activity for families with small children. The parents enjoyed
it, and the kids had a lot of fun. If my grandson is in town when they do this again, my wife
and I will certainly be there.
8—FriendsTalk
Lakeview Halloween
By Bill Kingsley
Halloween came early for Lorain County Metro Park fans at Lakeview Park. A Halloween walk was organized for children and
their parents on the first Saturday of October. Over twenty Friends of the Metro Parks volunteers signed up to assist in Naturalist
Traci Grandal’s new Halloween program.
The event was planned to give parents an easy and safe way to enjoy an early Halloween with their children. Twenty stations
were manned by volunteers dressed in Halloween garb. All the children had to do was to find the location and then do their “trick or
treat” routine. Each volunteer had a different kind of candy so the kids could fill their bags with various treats.
Although the weather did not cooperate (It was cool and drizzling), it did break enough for parents and their children to make the
rounds. Everyone had a great time.
If you have children or grandchildren, mark this event on your calendar for next year. It is an easy, safe way to enjoy the “trick or
treat” tradition.