BUCYRUS — Beat the winter blues and get outside with a park program! Here are the activities being offered by the Crawford Park District.

For more information on other programs offered by the Crawford Park District, visit out web site at www.crawfordpd.org or follow us on Facebook.

Photography Exhibit: Ian Adams

Sat., Jan. 25-Fri., Feb. 28   Lowe-Volk Park, 2401 State Route 598

There is still time to come to the Crawford Park District’s Lowe Volk Park Nature Center to experience the beauty of Ohio through the camera lens of Ian Adams. Adams is an environmental photographer, writer, and educator specializing in Ohio’s natural, rural, historical, and garden. He has carried out garden photography assignments for Country Gardens, Fine Gardening, Horticulture, Living the Country Life, Ohio Magazine, and Organic Gardening magazines, as well as numerous landscape design firms and other organizations. Photos will be on display  through Friday, February 28 during our regular hours: Monday-Friday from 8am-4pm and Saturdays from 12pm-4pm.

Snow Insects

Saturday, February 22   2pm   Lowe-Volk Park, 2401 State Route 598 

Breaking with their warm-weather relatives, some insects are most active on top of snow in the winter. Crawford Park District Naturalist Donald will be giving a presentation on these cold-weather creatures, and then lead a hike down to the Sandusky River to search for them. Since this program is highly weather-dependent, the date and time of the program are subject to change. Call the Park District at 419-683-9000 to register.

Viewing the Night Sky

Sat., February 22      7 pm   Lowe-Volk Park

Join members of the Crawford Park Astronomy Club as they share their knowledge and telescope skills with all who are interested in celestial sights. Some of the targets for winter are: 

Saturn – beautiful rings are turned to their thinnest angle, 1 billion miles away, has 146 moons, and Titan is its largest moon.

Jupiter – has unique cloud bands, ½ billion miles away, and can view 4 main large moons out of 95.

Orion Nebula (M42) – a local sight only 1,500 light-years away, birthplace of baby stars, and has an apparent magnitude of 4.

Crab Nebula (M1) – super nova remnant that exploded in 1054 AD, 6,500 light-years away, and found in Taurus.

Andromeda Galaxy (M31) – a barred spiral galaxy, 2 million light-years away, our nearest major galactic neighbor, and it’s a real treat to view its two satellite galaxies M32 and 110.

North Star – also known as Polaris, it is a double star, one of the easiest stars to locate,  and is the tail in the constellation of Ursa Minor/Little Bear.

OSU Extension Pruning Workshop 

March 1,  10am     Unger Park, 1303 Bucyrus Nevada Rd.

Do you have fruit trees that need pruning or are you interested in getting fruit trees? Join Ohio State Extension to learn how to prune the trees in your orchard. Whether you have trees that are pruned each year, are new to growing fruit trees, or have trees that haven’t been pruned for years, this workshop is for you!

At Unger Park, you will have the opportunity to see never-pruned trees while instructors guide you in determining which branches to cut and why. You will also learn more about the biology behind pruning trees and how the trees grow when pruned versus not in relation to production.

The workshop will be held at Unger Park on Saturday, March 1 at 10 am. This workshop is free to attend, and no registration is required. Please wear appropriate clothing, work gloves, and safety glasses. For more information, please call 419-447-9722 or email buurma.20@osu.edu

Face to Face: Salamanders   

Wednesday, March 5   5:30pm   Lowe-Volk Park, 2401 State Route 598 

Come meet the salamanders that call the Crawford Park District’s Lowe-Volk Park Nature Center home! From the largest North American amphibian to the iconic axolotl, we will get to see these fascinating creatures up close and learn about their unique lifecycles.  We will also talk about where to find salamanders as they come out in the spring. 


Homeschool in Nature: Dental Detectives

Thurs., March 6   10am & 2pm   Lowe-Volk Park, 2401 State Route 598 

You can tell a lot by looking at someone’s or something’s teeth. This month the Crawford Park District Homeschoolers will study the teeth of different animal skulls to determine what the animal is, and what types of food it ate when it was alive. Call the Park District at 419-683-9000 to register your 5–12-year-old.  

Little Explorers: Bugs  

Thursday, March 6   5:30pm   Lowe-Volk Park, 2401 State Route 598  

Little Explorers is an interactive program offered by the Crawford Park District for children ages 0-5 years. Activities will focus on stimulating the senses for infants while also engaging fine motor skills for toddlers.  This month we’ll explore bugs!