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DISCOVER! | JANUARY 7, 2017
Events | 5
KATE HARLOW | STAFF WRITER
Exploring Winter’s Wonders
Dickinson County Nature Center
hosts Nature Tots program Jan. 11
At a Glance:
WHAT: Nature Tots
WHERE: Dickinson County Nature
Center, 2279 170th St., Okoboji, IA
WHEN: Wednesday, Jan. 11 at
10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
COST: Free
CONTACT: 712-336-6352
ONLINE: dickinsoncountyconservationboard.com
The holiday season may be over,
but there is still plenty to enjoy
about the winter season.
The joys of winter are many and the
Dickinson County Nature Center is
ready to share some of the fun with
some nature lovers of a young age.
On Wednesday, Jan. 11, the nature
center is kicking off its Nature Tots
programs for the new year.
“Nature Tots is a program for toddlers
ages 2-5 and their parents or
guardians. The goal is to get kids
excited about the outdoors and to
encourage them to ask questions,”
said Kiley Roth, the community relations
coordinator at the nature center.
“With children this age, our naturalists
cannot pass on all of their extensive
environmental knowledge, but
they can help foster an appreciation
for nature in kids and get them excited
to head outside on a daily basis.”
The Nature Tots program meets
the second Wednesday every month
and offers two sessions, the first in
the morning at 10:30 a.m. and an
afternoon session at 1:30 p.m. Each
session is capped at 25 children, so
parents or guardians are encouraged
to call and register their children early.
The first Nature Tots of the year will
celebrate the season and has been
titled, “Wintertime Walk.”
“We will focus on snow and how
animals survive through the winter,”
said naturalist Charles Vigdal.
The tots and their guardians will
hear a story about how different animals
make it through the Iowa winter.
After the story, the kids will make
snow art and will go on a prairie hike.
“Dress for the weather, because we
will be going outside. Wintertime
is a really great time to see wildlife,
because a lot of animals are moving
around trying to find food. It’s also
easier to see them on the white backdrop,
and you can see their paw prints
in the snow,” Vigdal said.
“We will find evidence of animals
and see other winter patterns in nature.
I put some apples outside and
animals have been eating them, so
we’ll look for other signs of animals
in nature.”
Each Nature Tots program lasts about
45 minutes to an hour and features a
lesson, outdoor time and a craft.
Last year’s Nature Tots programs
were very successful, but many of the
staff particularly enjoyed one session,
Get Muddy.
“Parents were encouraged to dress
their children in old clothes, and we
went to the Nature Playscape to make
mud pies, search for worms and paint
with colored mud. Kids were streaked
with dirt, peeled off their shoes to
squish their toes in the mud and just
beamed,” Roth said. “It was so much
fun to see kids loving the simplicity
of getting dirty. So often we overthink
what it takes to entertain children.
They had a wonderful time just being
allowed to explore the world in any
way they wanted that day.”
And, for the team at the nature center,
it doesn’t matter if it’s summer or
winter, they want to encourage people
of all ages to explore and enjoy nature.
“Our goal for Nature Tots is always
just to get kids excited about the environment,”
Roth said. “If they have fun
hiking, learning about animals and
playing outside when they are kids,
then they will have a passion for the
outdoors when they are adults and
hopefully make a difference in the
conservation world.” F
KATE HARLOW | STAFF WRITER
Music
& wine
Round Lake Vineyards and Winery
has quite a day on tap for Sunday,
Jan. 15.
They’ll be hosting a series of tank
tastings and they’ll also have Okobojifavorite
Chad Elliott on the mic.
Elliott will be performing in the
afternoon in a concert that will be
completely free to the public.
“People can come and enjoy a glass
of wine, a bottle of water or a beer
and listen to Chad play,” said Heidi
Petersen, an account manager with
Round Lake Vineyards and Winery.
“We love having him and it’s always an
exciting time when he comes. We have
him booked for the summer as well.”
People are welcome to come and
listen to Elliott play for the entire afternoon
or they can attend one of the
tank tastings before or after enjoying
some good music.
The tank tastings will take place at
3, 5 and 7 p.m. Each time slot has 20
spots available, but people need to
register ahead of time to make sure
their spot is saved. Reservations must
be made by Jan. 12.
The tank tasting is a special winery
event that will be lead by Round Lake
Chad Elliott on
tap for Tank
Tasting at
Round Lake
Vineyards and Winery owners Scott
and Jenny Ellenbecker.
“At the tank tasting you’ll actually
be able to sample wine right from the
tank and you will also get to taste the
wine out of the bottle,” Petersen said.
“We’ll also have some food available
— some appetizers to help cleanse the
palette between the tastings.”
This event will feature all white
wine as that is the wine that is made
in the tanks. Another event, a barrel
tasting, will be held later featuring the
winery’s red wine.
The tank tasting will be a great opportunity
to learn more about wine
and the entire winemaking process.
“Scott and Jenny will be the ones
running the event. They have been
involved with every step of the process
from growing the grapes, harvesting
and through the process to bottling,”
said Jennifer Schwarztrauber, the
venue director at the winery. “This will
be a great time to discuss the backgrounds
of these wines.”
Participants will be able to taste
four different white wines in addition
to an apple wine that serves as the
base for their Skinny Dipping wines. F
Round Lake | Minnesota
Okoboji | Iowa
At a Glance:
WHAT: Tank Tasting and Live music
with Chad Elliott
WHERE: Round Lake Vineyards and
Winery, 30124 Hwy. 264, Round
Lake, MN
WHEN: Sunday, Jan. 15
COST: Music is free. Tank tasting is
$25 and $20 for wine club members
CONTACT: 507-945-1100
ONLINE: www.roundlakevineyards.
com