GroveFest connects all ages with nature

FREMONT — See and learn about live animals, play nature-related games and make crafts with regional nature organizations during the Hayes Presidential Library & Museums' annual GroveFest event on Saturday, June 27. GroveFest celebrates nature and wildlife and takes place on the grounds of Spiegel Grove in Fremont, an accredited arboretum and the estate of 19th U.S. President Rutherford and First Lady Lucy Hayes. The event is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and attendees can stop by any time throughout the event to join in the festivities. Admission is free. The schedule is as follows: • 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. — Organizations' booths are open. The food tent, featuring hot dogs and ice cream, is open. Food is free. Those who wish to make a donation can. • 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. — South Creek Clydesdales will offer horse-drawn trolley rides of the property with Hayes Presidential volunteers providing some historical background. Rides are $5 ages 13 and older, $3 ages 6 to 12 and free for ages 5 and younger. Tickets will be available in person on the day of the event. • 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. — Back to the Wild Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, of Castalia, will give talks featuring live education animals. • 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. — Author Elizabeth Davenport gives a reading from her new children's book, "Otis at the Grove," which features Otis, a time-traveling squirrel who lives at Spiegel Grove. The book is coming soon to the museum store at Hayes Presidential. Visitor parking is off-site only with the exception of those who have handicapped tags for their car. Parking will be available on the street and in ProMedica Memorial Hospital's parking lots at buildings A and B, located at 605. Third Ave., Fremont Spiegel Grove is a short walk to the east of the hospital parking lots. A golf cart will be available to shuttle people from the front to the back of Spiegel Grove. Several participating nature organizations and local agencies will be in attendance. GroveFest is an opportunity to enjoy nature at Spiegel Grove and to learn about Rutherford and Lucy Hayes' love of the outdoors. The couple raised cows and chickens and planted trees on their beloved estate. Lucy Hayes enjoyed fishing, and she loved nature so much that her official White House china had images of the flora and fauna of the United States, from deer and raccoons to fish and lobsters. People can visit rbhayes.org or call 419-332-2081 for more information.