TURPENTINE TALES

STORY BY BETSY ILER & PHOTO BY KENNETH BOONE

TTake a tour on the Turpentine Trail to learn about the animals in Russell Forest in conjunction with the Fall Family Festival at Russell Crossroads this month. From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 28 through Oct. 30, local students will don the costumes of forest animals to present hikers with glimpses of their lives in the woods. Among the seven animals on the tour will be a hawk, a ring-necked snake, a vulture and a skunk, said Karen Kison, wellness and recreation director at Willow Point Country Club, who is directing the outdoor production. “Tour groups will meet in the stage area at the Town Green at Russell Crossroads, and a guide will escort them along the trail to meet the animals,” Kison explained. “Each actor will explain a little about how that animal lives in the forest.” The program is designed to entertain children, especially those in early to mid-elementary grades, but younger children, older children and adults would find the tour interesting as well, Kison said.

Cost of the Turpentine Trail Tour is $5 per person ($20 per family maximum), and reservations must be made in advance by emailing Kison at kkison@russelllands.com. Please meet at the Town Green stage 15 minutes prior to tour time. Bring water and wear sturdy shoes. This trail event is appropriate for all ages and hiking levels.

Russell Lands’ Fall Family Festival at Russell Crossroads will open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 30. This annual celebration will include demonstrations by a working blacksmith and an operating gristmill. There also will be a pumpkin patch, wagon and pony rides, a scavenger hunt and a petting zoo. Enjoy festival food items and enter the Blue Ribbon Pie and Cake Baking Contest with cash prizes. Entry fee for the festival is $25 per family (based on a family of four). For more information, call 256-397-1019.

Local forest animals will gain voices during this month's Turpentine Tales production at Russell Forest LAKE 37