Party with the stars
There’s plenty of summer left, so get out and enjoy it.
Watch the Perseid meteor shower shows at Ontario Parks, where admission is free Wednesday.
Camper families love stargazing, especially from mid-July to late August during the shower period.
Peak time is this weekend and if the skies are clear, you can see up to 50 to 100 meteors an hour.
There will also be a solar eclipse Aug. 21 from 1:08 p.m., when the moon begins moving in front of the sun, to 3:48 p.m.
Star parties are held in the parks every summer, especially in northern Ontario where there’s less light pollution.
Killarney Provincial Park on GeorgianBayinvitesvisitorsto“come out to learn and look at the night sky through our telescope.”
Guest astronomer Bill Gardner will be there Aug. 15, 22 and 29 at 9:30 p.m., while this weekend features astronomers-in-residence Bill and Vicki Sherwood.
Not to worry if those dates don’t work, as visitors are invited at other times to book the observatory for selfguided stargazing.
Emily Provincial Park in Omemee has the Peterborough Astronomical Association setting up telescopes to explore the stars Aug. 25.
Rushing River Provincial Park in Kenora hosts Peter Toth of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada Sept. 2foradaytimesolarviewingprogram. At 8 p.m., he will lead a “laser show” of the night sky to point out constellations while visitors can look through a telescope at stars and planets.
Ontario has an incredible 330 provincial parks along with 295 conservation reserves.
There are also nine protected areas and 28 wilderness areas, all of which cover10.6-millionhectares(23.6-million acres).
Free admission Wednesday is for
ONE TANK TRIPS
visitors to join park staff marking Healthy Parks Healthy People day.
“This is a global initiative that encourages people to reconnect with nature,” said Jeff Brown of Ontario Parks. “Pack a picnic and visit an Ontario Park to sample some of the wonderful activities.”
Some opportunities are learning how to fish, trying stand-up paddle boarding, renting a kayak, taking a guided hike or enjoying a beautiful park beach.
More than 40 parks offer daily guided activities all summer. Check the calendar of events at ontarioparks. com/events
Wet and wild
There’s a new adventure package offered by Whirlpool Jet Boat Tours this season in Niagara that isn’t for the faint of heart.
The Wet and Wild Adventure is just that on three of Niagara’s top attractions starting with an “hour-long joy ride” with Whirlpool Jet Boat Tours.
It splashes down just below the powerful Niagara Whirlpool from the mouth of the Niagara River through the Class 5 Devil’s Hole Rapids.
From there, adventurers get a birds-eye view of the incredible scenery on a “breathtaking” ride to the base of Niagara Falls with Wildplay MistRider Zipline.
Then, there’s a “spectacular” obstacle course suspended over the Niagara Gorge with Wildplay Whirlpool Adventure Course. See
Happening now
TheHarrington&AreaCommunity Association is presenting “Stories to be Told” Friday and Saturday.
“Stories will abound throughout Harrington (near St. Marys) — in person, on signs, on display and even in a scavenger hunt,” Philip Kerr, association chair.
This 150 Heritage Festival includes a “Reminiscing Tent” to help tell the tales, and 10-cent ice cream cones at Knox Presbyterian Church.
At the “big tent” at the Harrington Conservation Area, stories will come alive with music from buskers, storytellers, singalongs and demonstrations of Highland and square dancing.
Harrington Library will be the starting point for a family scavenger hunt and there’ll be self-guided walking tours of local cemeteries highlighting tombstones with stories of interest.
The day winds up with a 7 p.m. concert by Trent Severn with songs to “match the stories.” See face book.com/Harrington CommunityAssociation onetanktrips@hotmail.com For more One-Tank Trips: http://1tanktrips.blogspot.ca