Summer Programs Continue At Kettletown

SOUTHBURY — Kettletown State Park has announced the free public programs it will be hosting during the next two weekends of August. Lisa Monachelli, the park’s interpretive program coordinator, leads the programs, which are free and suitable for most ages. She can be reached at 264-5678 for additional information.

Join Ms Monachelli in catching some fishy inhabitants in Lake Zoar during “Something’s Fishy,” on Friday, August 10, at 11 am. Participants will take nets out in the river to see what they can catch, and then make a fish print to take home.

Are bats really blind? Are mountain lions found in Connecticut? Can a garter snake cure a toothache? Discover this and more during “Blind Bats, Huge Cats and Other Wildlife Folklore” on Friday, August 10, at 8 pm. The program will feature a slide show and participants will make totem rocks and prints to take home.

There are a few spaces remaining for a bat box building workshop on Saturday, August 11, at 7:30 pm. Kits are limited and are on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration is required and donations are requested.

Southford Falls State Park will feature a “Storytelling by the Pond” program on Sunday, August 12, at 11 am. Discover stories about 6-foot bullfrogs and how butterflies came to be. Nets and buckets will be on hand to catch a few critters (Southford Falls is on Route 188).

On Friday, August 17, at 11 am, join Ms Monachelli back at Kettletown Park for a reptile and amphibian search during “Tales and Trails: Lizards, Frogs and Polliwogs.” Search forest and stream for these critters and then end with a reading of some silly poems from Douglas Florian’s Lizards, Frogs and Polliwogs.

Friday evening, join Ms Monachelli for a night hike on Kettletown’s trails beginning at 8:30 pm. Bring a flashlight and wear closed-toe shoes. Participants will learn about night vision and hunt for creatures of the night.

On Saturday, August 18, join Ms Monachelli for “Insect Safari” at 10:30 am. The group will look for all sorts of field insects and spiders during this catch-and-release mission.

Whether you love them or hate them, reptiles are often the subjects of some very funny stories. Children will discover the legends behind snakes, turtles, frogs, and salamanders during a slide show program. “A 20-Foot Milk Snake Just Ate My Couch and Other Rep-tall Tales” will begin at 8 pm Saturday night. Following the slide show, children will be invited to make their own toad house to take home.

Kettletown morning programs begin at the beach; evening programs begin at the Camp Office. The Park is on Kettletown Road in Southbury, near I-84, Exit 15. For more information on programs contact park inspector Lisa Monachelli at 264-5678.