Crawford Park District announces summer event lineup featuring ‘Moth Mania,’ ‘Mud Day,’ and outdoor challenges

BUCYRUS, OH (CRAWFORD COUNTY NOW)—The Crawford Park District has announced a diverse lineup of nature programs and family-friendly activities beginning late next week, designed to connect residents with local wildlife and outdoor recreation.

The festivities begin Friday, June 26, at 9 p.m. with “Moth Mania” at Lowe-Volk Park, located at 2401 State Route 598. District Naturalist Donald will use specialized light displays to attract and catalog nocturnal insects, offering participants a rare daytime look at species that range in size from a grain of rice to a small bird.

Activities continue at Lowe-Volk Park on Saturday, June 27, with back-to-back events. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the park district will host an early celebration of International Mud Day. The family event features interactive mud arts, mud angels, and target practice with mud balls. Personnel from the Jefferson Township Fire Department will be on-site to assist with rinsing participants.

Later that evening at 9 p.m., the Crawford Park Astronomy Club will host a deep-sky viewing event focused on summer nebulas and galaxies. In the event of inclement weather, organizers will move the presentation inside the Lowe-Volk Park Nature Center at 9:15 p.m.

Beginning July 1, the district will launch two July initiatives. A youth-focused “Bug Catching” event will take place Wednesday, July 1, at 5:30 p.m. outside the nature center, where staff will provide butterfly nets and field guidebooks to help participants identify local butterflies, dragonflies, and other odonata.

Additionally, the month-long “Picnic Challenge: America-250 Ohio” will run from July 1 through July 31 across all district parks. Part of the statewide “Ohio Gathers: Statewide Homecoming and Picnics” initiative, the challenge tasks families with picnicking at five distinct park locations, submitting photo proof, and answering weekly trivia questions to earn recognition.

Residents seeking additional details about scheduling, location directions, or registration requirements can visit the park district’s website at crawfordpd.org.