Community Corner
Brooker Creek Preserve to Host First-Ever Owl-Oween Celebration
Organizers wanted to host a Halloween event that was educational and wasn't scary
TARPON SPRINGS, FL – For people who give a hoot about owls – and the not-so-scary parts of Halloween, Brooker Creek Preserve will host a celebration that will fill both those needs.
The Friends of Brooker Creek Preserve and the Clearwater Audubon Society will host their first ever Owl-Oween celebration on Saturday, Oct. 22 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the preserve’s Environmental Education Center, located at 3940 Keystone Road in Tarpon Springs. There will also be a night-time trail hike at 7 p.m.
According to Barbara Hoffman, the business director of the Friends of Brooker Creek and the chairwoman of Owl-Oween, it was their fellow birds-of-a-feather in the Clearwater Audubon Society that helped get the event rolling.
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“We have been searching for an idea for Halloween time that is not scary, that fits with our education focus, and is fun for adults and children,” said Barbara Hoffman, the chairwoman for Owl-Oween with Friends of Brooker Creek. “It was Barbara Walker of the Clearwater Audubon Society who came up with the idea and approached us to host the event at Brooker Creek Preserve. The idea was exactly what we were looking for.”
The two organizations formed a committee and came up with the owl-themed ideas for Owl-Oween. Admission to the event is free, but some of the programs during the event will have entry fees.
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The schedule for Owl-Oween is:
- 8 to 10 a.m.: Owl Pancake Breakfast ($5/person)
- 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Live owls on display
- 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Owl Pellet Dissection for Teens ($5/person)
- 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Owl Next Box Building ($15/person)
- 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m.: Owl Storytime for Children
- 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Owl Face-painting
- 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m.: “Owls, Owls, Owls” Program
- 7 p.m.: Owl Prowl Night Hike ($5/person)
To register online for Owl-Oween, visit http://brookercreekpreserve.eventbrite.com/. For more information, call (727) 934-2680 or e-mail fobcp@tampabay.rr.com.
Image by Skip Holmes, courtesy of Friends of the Brooker Creek Preserve
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