COLUMBUS, OH -- Ohio families can experience nature up close at this year's Ohio State Fair, August 3-19, with a visit to the fair's popular Natural Resources Park. One of the State Fair's great traditions, the Natural Resources Park is created each year by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) as an eight-acre oasis for fairgoers, with shade trees, waterfalls, picnic groves and a variety of family activities.
 |
|
Governor Taft with Cyria Tiller of Westerville
who caught the first fish of the 2001 Ohio State Fair.
|
Major attractions include a walk-through butterfly garden, Ohio fish and wildlife exhibits, youth fishing pond, authentic tall grass prairie and a day-long schedule of free entertainment.
The enclosed butterfly garden allows visitors to walk among hundreds of live butterflies. Nearby, an Ohio wildlife exhibit features some of the state's endangered species such as the bobcat, timber rattlesnake and river otter. Beavers, snakes, wild turkeys, white-tailed deer and pheasants are also on display. At the Youth Fishing Pond, young fairgoers can try to catch catfish and bluegills.
A recycled-plastic boardwalk guides State Fair visitors through an Ohio tall grass prairie, similar to thick fields of wildflowers and grasses that once covered much of the state. The prairie is home to wildflower species such as the purple coneflower, compass plant and butterfly weed.
Steps away are an authentic log cabin recreating rural life in Ohio in the early 1900s and the Recycle, Ohio! Depot, which features some of the newest products made from recycled-content materials, such as jewelry, clothing, birdhouses and outdoor furniture.
Centerpiece of Natural Resources Park at the Ohio State Fair is an amphitheater featuring live entertainment from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The popular Hank Peters Lumberjack Show and the Madcap Giant Puppets perform throughout the day, interspersed with a variety of musical performances and educational programs. Not all the amazement is on the stage: seating in this outdoor theater was constructed using more than 190,000 recycled plastic milk jugs.
Visitors to the Natural Resources Park at the Ohio State Fair can't miss a conversation with the 15-foot animated Smokey Bear, who greets youngsters by name as he promotes his message of fire safety and conservation. Smokey stands beside an educational pavilion filled with informative exhibits on a variety of natural resource and outdoor recreation topics, including water resources, boating, geology, wildlife, recycling and conservation.
ODNR's Natural Resources Park provides a great place to relax during a busy day at the Ohio State Fair and learn more about Ohio's natural heritage. The park is located in the southeast corner of the fairgrounds.