ASHLAND – “Active Play” was the theme of Friday’s Books in the Park program at Freer Field, and the day’s activities lived up to their billing.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources brought its traveling Archery Trailer, giving young people the chance to try their hand with a bow and arrow in a safe environment. The Salvation Army Kroc Center brought their bounce house and Zorbs, person-sized plastic bubbles, allowing kids to run off some steam on a steamy summer afternoon. Parents and kids also could follow along with the Storywalk set up along the walking path at Freer Field.
In its third summer, Books in the Park is a joint effort between the Ashland Public Library and the Ashland County Park District. Each Friday, the Ashland Public Library Bookmobile visits one of Ashland County’s parks and kids have the opportunity to listen to stories, check out books from the bookmobile and take part in a variety of fun activities provided by the Park District and the ODNR.
The first Books in the Park was June 10 at the Fire Company Nature Center. Brenda Guggenbiller, Youth and Outreach Manager, said more than 80 people turned out for that program about butterflies and insects, and this week’s event drew an even larger crowd, with more than 130 attending.
“With the library renovations, we don’t have a lot of other programming happening right now so this is a good way to supplement things,” Guggenbiller said.
Guggenbiller said the partnership between the library and the park district has been beneficial for both groups, and she was grateful for the work Park District Commissioner Kolleen Crall has done to grow the program.
“This year Kolleen really stepped it up and got some really cool things happening at the parks for us,” she said.
Crall, who has been a park district volunteer for more than a decade, said she really wanted to add some new activities and opportunities for this year’s Books in the Park program and was lucky enough to find out about resources the ODNR offers.
“The ODNR came down this winter and shared some stuff, and they had all these resources available that I wasn’t aware of so I thought, ‘That would be perfect for Books in the Park.’” Crall said. “So we’ve partnered with them and gotten some of their trunks, and today they brought their archery trailer. Just to offer something different.”
“I just love kids and doing kids stuff so I wanted to have something fun for them,” Krall said.
The next Books in the Park will be at 2 p.m. June 24 at Byers Woods and the theme will be bats. Don and Diana Plant will present a program titled “Batty About Bats.”
On July 8, Dave McClure will take about ponds and fishing in a program called “Go Fish!” at 2 p.m. at the Ashland County Wildlife Conservation League, 1930 County Road 1035.
The program will make a return visit to Freer Field on July 15 for a program on geocaching. Geocaching allows participants to use GPS to locate hidden items, or caches. Participants will meet by the barn near the Center Street entrance to the field.
The Audubon Wetlands Preserve will be the site of the July 22 program about eagles. A life-size replica eagle’s nest will be on display at 2 p.m. and participants will get to learn all about the lives of eagles. The preserve is located at 1379 Township Road 743.
“Tracks and Scat” will be the final program of this summer’s program at 2 p.m. on July 29 at Jamison Creek at the north end of Davis Road. A park district representative will show how to identify which animals may live near the creek that runs through the park by examining the tracks and scat found there.
