Fall Perennial Sale
2024-10-05 15:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, 2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, 44120
DON’T MISS THE FALL PERENNIAL SALE
taking place during AutumnFest on October 5 from 3–5PM
Attendees of AutumnFest can look forward to a condensed version of the popular Annual Plant Sale held each spring. The Fall Perennial Sale will offer a limited selection of native Ohio perennial species, featuring perennials suited for fall planting, many of which are not typically available at the annual spring sale. The sale will take place in the pavilion. Attendance is free and plants will be offered for a fee with proceeds benefiting the Nature Center.

AutumnFest: Fairytales in the Forest
2024-10-05 15:00 - 19:00
POWERED BY PNC
Saturday, October 5 | 3:00PM-7:00PM | Nature Center
This FREE (excluding food, drink and glitter tattoos) magical evening in the forest will be held, rain or shine. Activities for all ages and abilities. Food trucks, libation stations, and vendors will have items available for purchase. Costumes welcomed and encouraged

Street parking available on South Park and West Park Blvds, overflow parking and shuttle provided from the Board of Education Parking Lot, 15600 Parkland Blvd.

Activities include:

Adventurous Tree Climbing (Ages 4-8) | N. Woodland Trailhead

Pixie Dust Sidewalk Chalk & Games | Parking Lot

Decorate a Magical Pumpkin | Parking Lot

Shop Mythical Wares | Marsh Overlook

Magical Glitter Temporary Tattoos | Marsh Overlook

Bat Barrettes & Fairy/Gnome Home | Lavelle Family Amphitheater

Sorcerer’s Scavenger Hunt | Welcome Table

Craft a Fairy Wand | Nature Play Area

Spooky Slime Station | Parking Lot

Mythical Music and Games | Parking Lot

Spellbinding Storywalk with Shaker Heights Public Library | Stearns Trail

4:30 PM – Kid’s Costume Parade | Parking Lot

6:00 PM – Enchanting Evening Hike | Stearns Trail

Fall Perennial Plant Sale | 3PM-5PM | Pavilion

Food and Libation Stations | EDWINS Restaurant, Zanzibar Soul Fusion Food Truck, County Line Concessions Food Truck, S’mores, Donut Pantry and Patterson’s Sweet Treats

Fall Bird Banding
2024-10-07 07:30 - 11:00, 2024-10-09 07:30 - 11:00, 2024-10-11 07:30 - 11:00, 2024-10-14 07:30 - 11:00, 2024-10-16 07:30 - 11:00, 2024-10-18 07:30 - 11:00, 2024-10-21 07:30 - 11:00, 2024-10-23 07:30 - 11:00 and 4 more dates
Meet Julie West at the table near the right side of the driveway to observe migratory birds as they are banded. Generally, the timing is around 30 minutes after sunrise and goes until 12PM. Weather permitting. Free. All ages and abilities welcome.

History of the Van Swerigen Brothers: An Author Talk with Lauren Pacini
2024-10-10 18:00 - 19:30
History of the Van Swerigen Brothers: An Author Talk with Lauren Pacini
Thursday, October 10 | 6:00PM-7:30PM | Nature Center
Join local history author and architectural photographer Lauren Pacini at the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes as he discusses his new book, Empire Builders: An Illustrated History of the Rise and Fall of Cleveland’s Van Swerigen Brothers.
Empire Builders tells the story of Cleveland’s Oris P. and Mantis J. Van Sweringen, two brothers born near Wooster, Ohio, in the late nineteenth century. Although they were born into abject poverty, O. P. was an extraordinary visionary who, with the help of M. J., his devoted younger brother, amassed a vast fortune in real estate and railroad developments. Free. Registration required.

Registration Link: https://givebutter.com/lee75t

The Big Sit
2024-10-13 07:00 - 19:00
The Big Sit, also known as the ultimate tailgate party for bird watchers, is a 24-hour period of birdwatching!
Attending The Big Sit is free, and no registration is required. Pledges and donations are accepted to support bird banding research and bird-related projects here at the Nature Center. Pledges can be made in-person at the Nature Center, on Sunday at the Big Sit or by email to Julie West at jwest@ameritech.net.
Registration Link: https://shakerlakes.doubleknot.com/event/the-big-sit-2024/3064731

Native Seed Collection Workshop
2024-10-16 17:30 - 19:00
Fall Native Seed Collection Workshops
Wednesday, October 16 | 5:30PM – 7PM | Nature Center
Saturday, November 9 | 3:00PM-4:30PM | Nature Center
Fall is a great time to start collecting mature native seeds! This workshop will cover the steps needed to identify, find, collect, clean, and store seeds for future planting. Help contribute to our native seed library!
Join Nick Mikash and Nick Fletcher to discuss the importance of collecting seeds, answering your questions about how to stratify seeds that are collected, and hiking the trails to find seeds of different species.
Please dress for the weather and plan to spend about an hour collecting seeds! Trails include a mix of pavement, dirt, rocks, and roots. Please contact turner@shakerlakes.org for any questions. $5 per person. Registration required.
October Registration Link: https://givebutter.com/V4hnSz
November Registration Link: https://givebutter.com/TgYvOq

All About Animals: Frogs (Oct-TOAD-ber!)
2024-10-19 11:00 - 12:00
All About Animals: Frogs (Oct-TOAD-ber!)
Saturday, October 19 | 11AM-12PM | Nature Center
Have you ever wondered what it takes to keep our animal ambassadors here at the nature center happy and healthy? Join us the second Saturday of every month for a “behind the scenes” look at our animal care program. Each month will highlight a different species. Children 4 & up will be given the opportunity to interact with animal ambassadors. Children 3 & under will be asked to sit with their grown-ups. All presentations will conclude with a feeding demonstration for that species. Registration required. $7 for children 4 and up; no charge for adults and children ages 3 and under. Donations welcome.
Children audience members will be seated on the floor on mats. Adult audience members (and children under 3) will be seated behind them on benches.
REGISTER: https://shakerlakes.doubleknot.com/registration/calendardetail.aspx?activitykey=3064015

Trekking Together: Hike with GirlTrek Cleveland
2024-10-20 17:00 - 18:00
Select Sundays: September 29, October 20, November 24 | 5:00PM – 6:00PM | Nature Center
Join Jo Rattliff of GirlTrek Cleveland for our monthly Sunday evening hikes as we enjoy the changing of the seasons while trekking the beautiful trails of Shaker Parklands and the surrounding neighborhood. Enjoy the crisp air, leaves turning, sounds of flowing water, evening bird calls, and much more, all while moving your body. The trail will be of natural surfaces (paved and dirt trails) and sidewalk. Come rain or shine. All are welcome to join us for a fun-filled evening in nature. Registration required. Free. Donations welcome.
Learn more about GirlTrek here: GirlTrek.org
Registration Link: https://shakerlakes.doubleknot.com/openrosters/ViewActivitySpaceAvailable.aspx?OrgKey=4283&CategoryID=27739

Fall Tree Care: Proper Tree Pruning Workshop and Demonstration
2024-10-24 17:30 - 19:00
Thursday, October 24 | 5:30PM-7:00PM | Nature Center
Love your trees, but don’t know how to care for them? Knowing how to properly care for your trees will make them healthier and more vibrant parts of your landscape.
Join our Natural Resources team as we discuss how to properly maintain your trees. Fall is the right time for things like annual pruning and trimming and in this timely workshop we’ll cover basic maintenance, what tools to use, how to properly care for those tools and when to perform your work. Then you’ll learn proper technique with a hands-on portion of the class as we head out to the grounds to apply what we learned. Feel free to bring your own hand tools and work gloves. Registration required. $5 per person for members with code NCSLFALL2024, $10 for non-members.
Registration Link: https://givebutter.com/uBsH9q

Fall Native Seed Collection Workshops
2024-11-09 15:00 - 16:30
Fall Native Seed Collection Workshops
Saturday, November 9 | 3:00PM-4:30PM | Nature Center
Fall is a great time to start collecting mature native seeds! This workshop will cover the steps needed to identify, find, collect, clean, and store seeds for future planting. Help contribute to our native seed library!
Join Nick Mikash and Nick Fletcher to discuss the importance of collecting seeds, answering your questions about how to stratify seeds that are collected, and hiking the trails to find seeds of different species.
Please dress for the weather and plan to spend about an hour collecting seeds! Trails include a mix of pavement, dirt, rocks, and roots. Please contact turner@shakerlakes.org for any questions. $5 per person. Registration required.
November Registration Link: https://givebutter.com/TgYvOq

Fall Mommy* & Me Art Class
2024-11-16 11:00 - 12:30
Spend an artsy Saturday at the Nature Center with talented artist Brenna Rudary as she leads a special hands-on fall craft: potato stamp tea towels! Make them for your own kitchen, just in time for Thanksgiving, or give them as a thoughtful gift to friends and family.
$13 per ticket includes all materials for a parent/guardian and child. Just bring yourself and be prepared to get a little messy. Please register by Monday, November 12th!
*All caregivers welcome! For questions, please contact Nia at turner@shakerlakes.org.
REGISTER https://givebutter.com/Sr3GzO

Naturalist Notebook: The Living Mountain & You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World
2024-11-17 13:00 - 15:00
Naturalist Notebook: The Living Mountain & You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World
Sunday, November 17 | 1:00PM-3:00PM | Nature Center
We close out our year by reading memoirs and poetry. The Living Mountain is a memoir that is more a prose poem to nature. This amazing piece of nature writing by Scottish author, Nan Shepherd, takes readers on a long walk in the eastern highlands, and is considered a “forgotten masterpiece of our relationship with nature”. We’ll also read the new anthology, You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World, edited by US Poet Laureate, Ada Limon, which complements Shepherd’s reflections with those of 50 contemporary poets and their relationship with nature in their local landscapes to include Jericho Brown, Joy Harjo and more. It’s a delightful pairing!
Free. Buy your copy from Loganberry Books for 10% off and join the conversation on November 17, from 1-3pm at Loganberry Books to discuss the book.
Registration Link: https://givebutter.com/ZXyBmb

Trekking Together: Hike with GirlTrek Cleveland
2024-11-24 17:00 - 18:00
Select Sundays: September 29, October 27, November 24 | 5:00PM – 6:00PM | Nature Center
Join Jo Rattliff of GirlTrek Cleveland for our monthly Sunday evening hikes as we enjoy the changing of the seasons while trekking the beautiful trails of Shaker Parklands and the surrounding neighborhood. Enjoy the crisp air, leaves turning, sounds of flowing water, evening bird calls, and much more, all while moving your body. The trail will be of natural surfaces (paved and dirt trails) and sidewalk. Come rain or shine. All are welcome to join us for a fun-filled evening in nature. Registration required. Free. Donations welcome.
Learn more about GirlTrek here: GirlTrek.org
Registration Link: https://shakerlakes.doubleknot.com/openrosters/ViewActivitySpaceAvailable.aspx?OrgKey=4283&CategoryID=27739

Invasive Plants in Your Backyard: An OIPC Workshop
2024-12-03 09:30 - 15:00
Invasive Plants in Your Backyard: An OIPC Workshop
Tuesday, December 3 | 9:30AM-3PM | Nature Center
The Ohio Invasive Plants Council (OIPC) is partnering with the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes to offer a one-day workshop entitled Invasive Plants in Your Backyard. This workshop will focus on invasive plants in Ohio, control methods, research efforts, what OIPC is doing to address the threats, alternatives to invasives, and an identification session on woody invasives. The workshop is designed to help landowners identify, control, and replace invasives, while understanding the threats that invasives pose in the landscape.
The workshop will start at 9:30am and finish by 3pm. Lunch will be provided for those that register in advance. Meat, vegetarian, gluten-free, and vegan options will be available (please select your preference when registering by November 26). Walk-ins will also be welcome (lunch not guaranteed).
View the agenda here.
Visit the OIPC website for more information at: www.oipc.info
Registration Link: https://givebutter.com/p1X6e8

Volunteer Crafty Hour
2024-12-03 17:00 - 19:00
Tuesday, December 3 | 5-7PM
Join us for an evening of volunteer crafting to create decorations for Luminary Walk. We will be making zero-waste decorations while enjoying some snacks and beverages. Drop in between 5pm and 7pm to help turn the Nature Center into a winter wonderland. Currently seeking donations of any crafting/scrapbook/construction paper to be used for this event.
Contact Megan Millisor, Volunteer Manager, at millisor@shakerlakes.org for questions or to RSVP!

Winter Warmups: A Night at the Brew-vies: Documentary Film Night
2024-12-06 18:00 - 20:00
Winter Warmups: A Night at the Brew-vies: Documentary Film Night
Friday, December 6 | 6:00pm-8:00pm| Nature Center
Embrace the warmth of the Nature Center and settle in with an inviting evening of mini ecological-focused documentary films and discussion led by the Natural Resources team!
This documentary runs for one hour and one hour for discussion. To make the evening cozier, delicious hot chocolate and popcorn will be provided. Registration required.
Beer tastings provided by our partners at Midnight Owl Brewing Company
Free, with a $10 suggested donation.
Registration Link: https://givebutter.com/8Dj4X3

Winter Solstice Luminary Walk & Holiday Market
2024-12-13 17:30 - 20:30
Winter Solstice Luminary Walk & Holiday Market
Friday, December 13 | 5:30–8:30PM | Nature Center at Shaker Lakes
Celebrate nature and the beginning of winter!
All are invited to take a stroll on the illuminated All Peoples’ Trail boardwalk, which is ADA-accessible. Keep warm at a bonfire, or in the heated pavilion where there will be warm alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages for sale. Join us inside at our nature-inspired Holiday Market and Duck Pond Gift Shop. Donations welcome. Market items, food, and beverage available for purchase.
A sensory-friendly room will be available on the second floor of the Nature Center building for anyone who needs a calm place to get away from the noise. Sensory bags are available upon request from the front desk.
Support our sustainable efforts!
We are collecting large glass marinara and sauce jars for luminaries. Please clean well and remove labels before donating to the Welcome Desk. After the Luminary Walk, they will be recycled.
Presented by Port of Cleveland with lighting by Jon’s Lawns

Build-a-Birdhouse Workshop
2024-12-17 18:00 - 19:30
Build-a-Birdhouse Workshop
Tuesday, December 17 | 6pm – 7:30pm | Nature Center
Join us with your family and friends for a fun, winter craft- a gift that keeps on giving back to nature! We’ll be creating sturdy birdhouses that provide safe havens for local bird species and learning the role they play in supporting our feathered friends.
Please note: No prior experience necessary! To ensure your birdhouse is dry and ready to be placed outdoors, it will need to stay at the Nature Center for 48 hours before it can be picked up.
Come join us for a cozy crafting night of creativity! One birdhouse can be worked on by an entire family or group of friends. $32 per birdhouse includes all materials, instruction, and presentation.
Registration Link: https://givebutter.com/KjEGDE

Art on View: MOVING VEHICLE: "DRIVE BY" LANDSCAPE SERIES
2024-12-19 17:30 - 19:00
MOVING VEHICLE: “DRIVE BY” LANDSCAPE SERIES
by Leslye Arian
Opening Reception Thursday, December 19 | 5:30–7PM | NCSL
The series was created in response to the isolation caused by the COVID pandemic, as well as the social and political turmoil around the world. Through road trips across the seasons and in an effort to receive nourishment from the universe, Leslye takes no photographs but rather memorizes the continuous overlapping of colors and the abstract banding of shapes witnessed. She finds peace at the horizon line, where the known meets the unknown. Leslye’s medium is Sennelier Oil Pastels on paper, using her fingers to move paint to be one with the memory of the landscapes witnessed. The works are small to honor her recognition of simply being a tiny speck of dust in the universe.
Exhibit runs December 19–March 27.
Pieces may be purchased for a fee with a percentage of proceeds benefiting the Nature Center.
