Check Out Backyard Critters at Creatures of the Night Festival

As the leaves begin to fall and the crisp, cool air of autumn takes its hold on Georgia, the woods of the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center (EHC) come alive at night.

Experience the wonders of nocturnal animals and their amazing adaptations at the Creatures of the Night Festival on Friday, Oct. 17, 2014. The event will feature expanded hours this year, starting at 5pm and ending at 10pm.

Meet real, live examples of night time creatures that might inhabit your own backyard, such as an owl and an opossum. Additional activities include an indoor scavenger hunt, crafts, owl pellet dissection, nocturnal trivia, Discovery Dome shows, a night sky presentation, tram rides and an enchanted display of nature themed, carved pumpkins. Bat experts will be in attendance with an Anabat detector, highlighting the importance of this flying mammal.

Throughout the evening, the EHC will offer both guided and self-guided night hikes for visitors where participants will use all of their senses to explore what goes bump in the night.

The event will also feature local food trucks such as Mac The Cheese, Nana G’s Chicken and Waffles and Mix’D UP Burgers, so that guests may purchase dinner while they enjoy the evening’s festivities.

The EHC will host a “green” pumpkin carving contest as a part of the festival to see how creative guests can be in carving their fall pumpkins with a “green” or nature theme. Their creations will be displayed and judged during the event. Contest rules can be found online at www.gwinnettEHC.org. Entries for the contest must be delivered to the EHC before the festival on Oct. 17.

There will be plenty of parking at the event as the EHC will utilize its new Festival Field and overflow parking area complete with a continuous transportation shuttle to and from the main campus.

Program fees for the Creatures of the Night Festival are $5.00 for ages 13 and up and $3.00 for ages three to 12. Children two and under and EHC members are free. Some activities may require an additional fee. Program fees can be paid at the door, but guests are encouraged to register early and pay online at www.gwinnettEHC.org.

— Submitted press release

(Photo: The EHC’s annual Creatures of the Night Festival takes place Friday, Oct. 17.)