Events
| March |
Tuesday,
5th - NATURE NUTS: Salamander Secrets
LIVE
salamander, guaranteed!! Come and see for yourself. We
invite all preschoolers, ages 3 - 5, to join us on a hunt for salamanders!
We will 
listen to a story all about where salamanders like to live and make a
puppet to take home. We will meet at the OxBow Haus Shelter in OxBow County
Park from 9:30 - 11:00 a.m. Parents or other adults are welcome to accompany
the children.
Preregistration is required by Thursday, February 28, along with a $3.00 per child fee. To register, call the Elkhart County Parks Office at (574) 535-6458. Call soon, space is limited to 12 children.
Saturday,
9th - Build a Box Kite
The
blustery month of March is proud to be the barer of the first day of spring.
The changing seasons bring many windy days. What better time to fly a
kite than in the month of March. What better kite to fly than a box kite.
Attend this program and build a box kite of your own. All materials and
instructions will be provided to build and fly your own box kite.
There will be a $2.00 charge for materials for each kite built. There is also limited space so please call to reserve your spot. All registrations and fees are due by Friday, March 8, 2002 at 4:00 p.m. Please call and sign up today at 535-6458. Meet at the OxBow Haus Shelter in OxBow County Park at 10:00 a.m.
Wednesday,
13th - Barn Again! Celebrating an American Icon Grand Opening Celebration!
Join
us for our Grand Opening of the Smithsonian Exhibition - Barn Again! A
traditional haystack supper will take place at the Elkhart County Historical
Museum/ Rush Memorial Center in Bristol from 6p.m.- 8 p.m. The haystack
supper is part of the grand opening celebration of the Barn Again! exhibit
which is on display March 13- April 14, 2002 at the museum. The supper
is being sponsored by the Friends of the Elkhart County Parks.
The cost is $5 for adults, and $3 for children ages 5 - 11. Musical entertainment
and children's activities will be included during the grand opening, as
well as free admission to see the Barn Again! exhibit. For more information
call 848-4322 or 535-6458.
Sunday,
17th - Elkhart County Historical Museum Open House Plus Barn Again!
Early
spring is a wonderful time to visit the museum. Visit a pre-Revolutionary
War encampment, listen to music, watch crafters demonstrate their skills,
tour the museum, sample some tasty refreshments and learn about the barn's
impact on American culture in the Smithsonian Exhibition Barn Again! Celebrating
an American Icon!
The Open House will take place at the Elkhart County Historical Museum from 1:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Tuesday,
19th - Terry's Train Talk Tuesdays
Learn
about one of Elkhart's most important industries! This program will take
place at the Elkhart County Historical Museum from 10:30 - 11:30 p.m.
There is limited seating per session so call the museum at 574-848-4322 to register.
Tuesday,
19th - Historic Landmarks Foundation Program... Barns of Indiana
Marsh
Davis, Director of Community Services for Historic Landmarks Foundation
of Indiana will present an illustrative program on the history and preservation
of Hoosier barns. Mr. Davis is a regular contributor of words and photographs
to the Foundation's bi-monthly magazine, the Indiana Preservationist,
as well as to other publications.
This program will take place at the Elkhart County Historical Museum at 7:00 p.m.
Friday,
22nd The Wonderful World of Woodcocks
If
it beeps, soars, twitters, and dives you can bet your looking at one of
the silliest of all birds, the American woodcock. This silly bird has
no neck and a bill nearly as long as the bird is. Join a naturalist as
we travel to Lieber Nature Preserve in Bristol, Indiana to observe these
wonders of nature in action. Leiber Nature preserve offers excellent habitat
where this bird is found in thick numbers. It is best observed late in
the evening so bring your binoculars for this spectacular courtship display.
We will meet at OxBow Haus Shelter in OxBow County Park at 6:00 p.m.
Sunday,
24th - Heartland Wildlife Rehabilitation Center
What
should you do if you find a baby or 
injured animal? How about bats in the attic,
groundhogs under the deck,
raccoons in the chimney? As more people move into the country and into
housing developments on old farmland,
such wildlife dilemmas are increasing. Nancy Cobb from the Heartland Wildlife
Rehabilitation Center in Goshen offers advice and solutions for dealing
with wildlife encounters such as these.
She also discusses what it takes to be a licensed wildlife rehabilitator using slides, pictures, and stories. From children who want to learn about Michiana's wildlife to individuals trying to cope with their own backyard wildlife encounters, this program promises to educate and entertain all who attend. Donations for the Heartland Wildlife Rehabilitation Center will be accepted.
Join us at Oxbow Haus Shelter in Oxbow County Park from 1:00-3:00 p.m. to learn more about this exciting program.
Tuesday,
26th - Terry's Train Talk Tuesdays
Learn about one of Elkhart's most important industries! This program will
take place at the Elkhart County Historical Museum from 10:30 - 11:30
p.m. There is limited seating per session so call the museum at 574-848-4322
to register.
Millers John Jenney and Craig Kirkwood will have Bonneyville Mill open for touring during Barn Again! Escape the pressures of the 20th century and step back to the rustic charm of Indiana's oldest continually operating grist mill!
Stop by the Barn Again exhibit, enjoy refreshments and then take a self-guiding tour of local barns and learn fascinating facts about them! Several barns will be open for you to stop and visit. Self-guiding brochures for the local barn tour are available at the Elkhart County Historical Museum or the Elkhart County Parks Administration office. A guided bus tour of the barns is also being planned. 
Join area parks and environmental organizations for a day in the park to learn about the environment. Participate in a fun run or walk, guest speakers, environmental displays and family fun activities! 
they come in colors too. The fantastic world of frogs contains an abundance of colors, shapes, sizes and calls. This program will focus on those fantastic frogs. This will be an indoor/outdoor program. Following the indoor activities we will venture outside to look and listen for some of our native Indiana frogs. Be prepared to be amazed by those fantastic frogs.
If you have garden plants that need to be thinned, or if you are looking for some new varieties to add to your garden, then this program is for you. Participants are invited to bring their excess plants and seeds to trade with others. Plants can include perennials, bulbs, shrubs and small trees. Each plant must be rooted in soil and in a container; and all plants must be in healthy condition. There is no limit to how many plants you can bring. 
Whether you live on a
1/2 acre of ground or 200 acres of ground you can bet that there are plenty of wild edibles growing in all but the most manicured of all lawns. We will be hiking through the OxBow County Park lawns, field and forest in search of some of mother nature's most delicious treasures. Learn what bounties Mother Nature has to offer as we sample this springtime Cornucopia.