Caption: The popular Fall Candlelight Hike Festival will be held Friday, Oct. 25, at UW-Stevens Point’s Schmeeckle Reserve.

Experience hands-on nature activities at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s Schmeeckle Reserve this month with free programs for the whole family, including the annual Fall Candlelight Hike Festival.

Led by UW-Stevens Point students, these programs meet at the reserve’s Visitor Center, located at 2419 North Point Dr., Stevens Point, unless otherwise noted. For more information, call 715-346-4992 or go to www.uwsp.edu/cnr/schmeeckle. Dress for the weather, as most programs are outdoors. Prior registration is not required.The 2019 Fall Candlelight Hike Festival will be held Friday, Oct. 25, 6-9 p.m. Schmeeckle Reserve will celebrate the new Pankowski Friends Amphitheater with “Schmeeckle on Stage” programs at 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. Take half-mile or one-mile walks along torch and jack-o’-lantern lit paths, and enjoy hands-on activities, free crafts and snacks. The event has a suggested donation of $2 per person or $5 per family.

Two Preschool Discovery Programs will be held from 10:30-11:30 a.m. on select Fridays in October for ages 3 to 6 with a parent or guardian. Programs begin at the Visitor Center and continue outside, weather permitting. Each includes crafts and snacks:

• Schmeeckle’s Creepy Crawlies, 11, Discover the bugs that live in the reserve, play games and make your own spider web.
• Falling for Colors, Oct. 18, Use your senses to explore the many changes fall brings.

Family nature programs offered in October include:

• Hitchhiker Locomotion, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Learn about the plants and animals that attach to our skin or clothes after a walk in the woods.
• Snacks in Schmeeckle, Thursday, Oct. 17, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Join a guided walk to discover some of the many tasty plants found in the reserve and learn about their healthy benefits.
• Portraying the Past of Portage County, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 5-6 p.m. Uncover the lives of explorers, loggers and farmers as you hear about the immigrant families of early Portage County. Meet at the Wood Lane entrance to the reserve.

Shared by University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Media Relations