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Ottawa County Parks & Recreation offers programming and volunteer opportunities year-round! Visit the Program and Events Calendar for details and registration. Call our Nature Center at Hemlock Crossing Park for more information: 616-786-4847.
 July
Scroll down to find information about ways to get outside this summer, as well as upcoming programs, events, and much more. Thank you for reading!
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In collaboration with the National Recreation and Park Association, we’ll celebrate parks this July! Join us for a program (keep scrolling) or share the positive impact parks have had on your life using social media. Share your pictures with us and we will repost them to our account throughout July.
Click HERE to submit a picture!
July 3 at 10 pm • Grose Park
Join the Crockery Lake Association for fireworks over Crockery Lake on July 3 starting at 10 pm! Grose Park will remain open for the fireworks and will close immediately following the show. If you would like to support the show, donation signs will be available at the park, or you can donate through the Crockery Lake Facebook page.
July 13 • 9 AM- 1 PM • Windmill Island Gardens
The Macatawa Water Festival will be held on Holland’s Windmill Island. This community event is designed to help people of all ages learn about our most precious natural resource, Lake Macatawa and its Watershed. The festival is a benefit for Project Clarity and the Macatawa Watershed Project.
Over 20 community partners and sponsors will come together to offer water activities and educational experiences designed to engage all ages to learn about restoring and preserving our lake and watershed. People will have the opportunity to kayak and bike around the island while exploring and learning about the great outdoors. Other activities include assembling a rain barrel, learning about native and invasive plants, performing water quality experiments, and learning about water filtration and pollutants.
Admission is FREE!
The Pump House Museum & Learning Center in Holland will be open from June 1 through Labor Day! The “Sparking Change” exhibit explores innovations in communication, transportation, recreation, and mechanization, which sparked a transformation in many aspects of the American way of life. Visitors will be challenged to send and receive telegraph messages in Morse code and can also learn about the funicular inclined railway on the Macatawa side of the Holland channel.
Museum Hours
Tuesday-Saturday: 11 am-3 pm
Sunday: 3-7 pm
Construction on the latest segment of the Idema Explorers Trail, which will finalize the western third of the trail, began this spring. The project involves adding a new pathway lane on the bridge over Stearns Bayou and two "bump-outs." The bridge extension will not only improve safety along this route but also provide better access for fishing and observing wildlife at Stearns Bayou. The project is expected to continue through September and will finalize the 24-mile-long Grand Crossings loop around the Grand River between the US 31 and M-231 Grand River bridges.
Learn more: news.miottawa.org/stearns-bayou-connector
 Photo by Prein&Newhof
Camps are filling up - secure your spot ASAP!
August 17 • 9:30-11:30 AM • Pigeon Creek Park
Pedal the Pigeon is not only a race for kids, it’s a celebration of accomplishment and a bike party for friends and family. We hope to see you and all your little rippers out there! Yes, this is a race…but we are biking in the woods with our friends, let’s HAVE FUN no matter how fast we are going.
Online registration will close on August 14 at 9 pm. NO RACE DAY REGISTRATION.
July 6 • 2-4 PM • Hemlock Crossing
Learn to identify native flowering plants using Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. We’ll learn different leaf and flower types, how to count floral parts and more. Using the guide in both the lab and field will help you gain added expertise and knowledge in plant identification. Registration is required.
Join the ODC network at the 2024 Macatawa Water Festival for one of three Rain Barrel Workshops! We will briefly discuss the benefits, as well as the logistics of owning a barrel, such as placement, installation, and maintenance. Those who purchase a rain barrel will need to transport their barrels to their vehicles at the end of the program.
Registration is required and will close ONE week before the event.
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The Outdoor Discovery Center needs volunteers to help make the Macatawa Water Festival successful. There are several volunteering opportunities available. Find something for you and sign up for a slot!
If you are interested in volunteering, please register HERE.
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This summer we will be offering natural resource-based hikes on Tuesday afternoons. These programs are FREE and a great way to learn more about the unique natural resources in Ottawa County, flora and fauna, and more! The hike will be led by a naturalist or a member of our Stewardship Crew. Find a program for you and come celebrate National Parks and Recreation month with us! Registration is appreciated but not required.
 
Click on a program date to be redirected to our registration page for that program!
Macatawa Water Festival
Attend the Macatawa Water Festival for a family fun day of learning the importance of the Macatawa Watershed.
Astronomy Program: Public Observing
Registration encouraged • FREE • Ages 12+
Observe the night sky with the Shoreline Amateur Astronomical Association. They will have the observatory open and telescopes available to view from (weather/cloud cover permitting). Please check holland-saaa.org for updated information.
Into Nature
Wildflower Identification Workshop
Registration required • Resident-$5 / Non-resident-$6 • Ages 12+
Learn to identify native flowering plants using Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. We’ll learn different leaf and flower types, how to count floral parts and more. Using the guide in both the lab and field will help you gain added expertise and knowledge in plant identification.
Butterfly Walk
Registration encouraged • FREE • Ages 12+
Explore a meadow habitat and the butterflies and wildflowers that grow there. We will attempt to ID them through various means and discuss host plants for different butterfly species.
Naturally Speaking: In Tune with Hummingbirds
Registration encouraged • FREE • Ages 12+
Unique to the Western Hemisphere, Hummingbirds are tiny flying jewels to behold! Beyond just their brilliant colors, the amazing things they do just to stay alive will leave you in awe of this pugnacious creature weighing less than a nickel. Come find out more, including how to attract and feed them in your own backyard.
Dune Discovery Hike
Registration encouraged • FREE • Ages 12+
Unique to our region, the Great Lakes Dunes are a sight to behold. Aside from their sheer beauty, these dunes hold a story hidden in time, that continues on to this day. Discover the geologic and ecological secrets behind these amazing formations. You'll never look at them the same again! *Meet at the parking area. Parking permit required.
Wildflower Walk
Registration encouraged • FREE • Ages 12+
On this casual hike, you'll experience the variety prairie wildflowers blooming in our parks through the summer.
Introduction to Nature Journaling
Registration required • Resident-$5 / Non-Resident-$6 • Ages 18+
Many of us seek ways to better connect with nature. We want to learn its patterns and secrets, help protect its inhabitants, and gain an understanding of our place within it. Nature journaling helps us do this and you do not need to know anything about nature, drawing, or writing to begin! Learn how to start a nature journal, a few drawing basics, and some simple tricks to help you be successful. *Journals are not provided
Yoga at the Nature Center
Registration required • Resident-$10 / Non-Resident-$15 • Ages 18+
Come practice yoga at the Nature Center! A certified yoga instructor will lead this session in the beautiful Great Room, with views of the forest outside. All levels of experience are welcome. *Yoga mats not provided.
Wildflower Photography
Registration required • Resident-$5 / Non-Resident-$6 • Ages 18+
Summer is the season of meadow flowers! Grab your favorite camera and come along for a walk through a meadow in search of summer wildflowers. You’ll learn tips for photographing flowers with an emphasis on caring for nature and an eye for art.
Paddle the Pigeon
Registration required • Resident-$25 / Non-Resident-$30 • Ages 12+
Join us on a leisurely guided kayak trip down the Pigeon River, enjoying the sights and sounds as you paddle through the Hemlock Crossing and Pine Bend Parks. Kayak included in fee.
Paddleboard the Macatawa River
Registration required • Resident-$50 / Non-Resident-$60 • Ages 12+
Join us on a leisurely guided standup paddleboard trip on the Macatawa River. We will launch at Paw Paw Park West and travel to Windmill Island and back. As we travel, we will look for the flora and fauna along the river.
Nature Journal Club
Registration required • Resident-$5 / Non-Resident-$6 • Ages 18+
Calling all nature lovers! Gather each month to learn new drawing and writing techniques specific to the theme and enjoy community connection with fellow journalers. The Nature Journal Club compliments an Introduction to Nature Journaling, however taking the class prior is not required. *Journals are not provided.
Kids & Families
Family Nature Day
Registration encouraged • FREE • All Ages
Bring the whole family and explore nature with activities, crafts and more. There’s a different theme and location for each date so attend them all!
Wild Prairies! - The prairie grassland at Hemlock Crossing is a buzz with activity in the summer months. Your family will explore the beautiful diversity of prairie flowers, the many pollinators that they depend on and more.
Family Campfire
Registration required • Resident-$5 / Non-Resident-$6 • All Ages
As evening fall upon the woods, gather around the campfire to make S'mores and engage in various campfire games & activities. MEET AT THE GROUP CAMP AREA. If weather is poor, we will move event to the Pigeon Creek Lodge.
StoryWalks
We’re collaborating with local libraries to continue providing StoryWalks this winter! Walk through the pages of a book as you make your way along a park path. These are self-guided programs, and the stories are available during park hours. Brought to you by Herrick Main Library, Loutit District Library, and Herrick North Branch Library.
- July 1-21 at Hemlock Crossing: The Way Champs Play by Naomi Osaka brought to you in partnership with 5210, Let's Go!
- July 15-28 at Paw Paw East: The Little Red Fort / El Fuertecito Rojo by Brenda Maier
- July 29-August 18 at Pine Bend: Summer Song by Kevin Henkes
5-2-1-0 StoryWalks are presented in collaboration with the Ottawa County Department of Public Health's 5-2-1-0 Let's Go! Initiative.
Early Sprouts
Registration required • Resident-$10 / Non-Resident-$15 • Ages 4-5
Each week, we will explore a different natural theme through music, games, books, outdoor exploration and crafts. A caregiver must remain with the child.
Nature Buds
Registration required • Resident-$10 / Non-Resident-$15 • Ages 6-8
Each week, we will explore and engage with nature through activities that may include using dip nets in the wetland, catching insects, and searching for salamanders!
The Shoreline Amateur Astronomical Association will continue to host Friday public viewing nights with smaller telescopes (weather permitting). These events are weather dependent and will be cancelled if overcast.
Make sure to check the calendar for cancellations on this page before you head out to the park: holland-saaa.org
- July 5, 9 pm - Public Observing
- July 12, 9 pm - Public Observing
- July 19, 9 pm - Public Observing
- July 26, 9 pm - Public Observing
For more details: miOttawa.org/observatory
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