Snowshoeing, animals from the Big Run Wolf Ranch and Little Red Schoolhouse and an ice rescue demonstration will be featured Saturday during Winterfest at Lake Katherine Nature Center & Botanical Gardens, 7402 W. Lake Katherine Drive in Palos Heights.
Held from noon to 4 p.m., the annual event also will include 20-minute hayrides on a “scenic route via Lake Katherine’s eastern trails showcasing the park’s rolling woodland and secluded and hidden gems,” said Charlotte Ward, Lake Katherine’s marketing coordinator.
Winterfest also will have children’s crafts, educational displays and a reading from “The Secret Drawer” by its illustrator Raye Ann Saunoris.
“Winterfest is often the first time many people try snowshoeing, a unique and fun way to traipse through the snow,” Ward said. “The kids are always very keen to give it a go and while parents might be hesitant at first they usually enjoy the experience.”
Big Run Wolf Ranch is a returning Winterfest favorite, she said. The Lockport ranch will bring a wolf, coyote, groundhog, skunk and porcupine.
Another highlight of Winterfest is an ice rescue demonstration by a team from the Palos Heights Fire Protection District.
“We hear all sorts of excuses as to why people end up on the ice, but it is never worth the risk,” said fire Lt. Matt Gruca. “If you fall through the ice, the water is typically 34 to 36 degrees and hyperthermia can come on in a matter of minutes.”
Gruca, who will take part in the rescue demonstration, said a member of the team will act as a person in distress while other firemen using specialized equipment throw a bag attached to a 50- to 75-foot rope onto the ice to pull the person back to shore.
Winterfest entry costs $5 a ticket with no fee for children 3 and under. Proceeds benefit animal care and educational programs.
Lake Katherine Nature Center and Botanic Gardens is an 85-acre nonprofit park with woodlands, prairie, wetlands, gardens and a 10-acre lake. The Wildlife Discovery Center features snakes, turtles, frogs, salamanders, newts and fish native to the area along with bunnies, a ferret and other domestic animals. The Nature Discovery Center offers hands-on natural science activities and houses taxidermy collections, including a large display of hoofed animals from North America and birds collected in the area in the early 1900s.
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Winterfest
When: Noon to 4 p.m. Saturday
Where: Lake Katherine Nature Center and Botanic Gardens, 7402 W. Lake Katherine Drive (near Route 83 and Harlem Avenue) in Palos Heights.
Admission: $5, free for children 3 and under.
Information: (708) 361-1873 or lakekatherine.org.
Schedule:
12 p.m. – Owl from Little Red Schoolhouse
12:30 p.m. – Stories by the Lake sponsored by Target
1 p.m. – Winter survival talk from fire Lt. Matt Gruca
1:30 p.m. – Ice rescue demo by Palos Heights Fire Protection District
2 p.m. – Pruning in Winter with Heather Valderrama
2:30 p.m. – Project Feeder Watch with Karrie Chapman
3 p.m. – Waddles the Penguin photo opportunity
3:30 p.m. – A book reading from” The Secret Drawer” by Nancy Gee, read by the book’s illustrator Raye Ann Saunoris