On Monday, October 24th, Henry County Conservation will be having their annual Night Hike at the Oakland Mills Nature Center. The theme for this year is “Land of Oz,” and Naturalist Cari Nicely explains it’s a different land than the movie, but “The Wizard of Oz” shows everything as wonderful, with no litter or pollution. All of the stations for the Night Hike will keep that in mind, with skits about recycling, habitat restoration, and how to make our environment better.

Nicely said the Henry County Night Hike is on a Monday night for the same reason why it’s not called a “Halloween Hike,” as similar events are called in other counties: She doesn’t wish to compete with the Old Thresher’s Haunted Train in Mt. Pleasant. She also says the hike doesn’t have anything to do with Halloween, as it’s all educational family fun, with nothing that will scare people. When asked what she was most excited about for this year’s event, Nicely exclaimed, “All of it! The thing that I like the most about this is that every single station has audience participation. So follow the yellow brick road.” She’s hoping for a big turnout and believes this could be the biggest Night Hike they’ve ever had. The hike runs from 6-7:30 p.m., and there’s no cost for activities. Additionally, attendees will be provided snacks and a chance at door prizes.