Johnny Appleseed Metropolitan Park District

10/05/2026

What happens when the forest becomes the classroom? ☀️

Homeschool families, this one's for you!
On October 14, children ages 10–14 and their families are invited to explore how energy moves through the forest ecosystem right here in Allen County.

Through hands-on, curriculum-based activities with our Nature Education staff, we'll discover how energy from the sun is transformed, transferred, and recycled by the organisms that make up a healthy ecosystem. 🌱🐛🌳

Science gets a whole lot more interesting when you can step right into the ecosystem you're learning about. 🍂

Link in the comments to learn make and register! ⬇️

10/03/2026

We’re excited to see you today! 🍎
Here’s all the info ahead of your visit ⬇️

Fall is coming to Allen County, and with it comes one of the Johnny Appleseed Metropolitan Park District’s favorite seasonal traditions.

10/03/2026

🍎 Tomorrow!

Here's what to know before you head to Apple Festival:
📍 Lauer Historical Farm 🕛 12–6 PM Saturday + Sunday
🎟️ Admission is FREE 🎃 Activities are FREE
🚗 Accessible parking is available near Festival activities 🐕 Leashed pets are welcome
🍎 Apples + c***r available for purchase at the Lauer House 🍴 Food trucks + vendors will be on site

See you then

10/01/2026

Marie was exploring the Cottonwood Access Trail at Kendrick Woods when this cheerful orange visitor caught her eye, an Orange Sulphur butterfly!

But this little butterfly comes with a story…

Listen in as Marie shares the very cute nickname she had for these butterflies when she was younger, and how these colorful little creatures actually played a part in inspiring the name given to their species many, many years ago.

Another wildlife encounter, another round of fun facts we never knew we needed. Thanks, Marie! 😂

And as always, you never know what might flutter across your path when you take the time to explore.

Today, and every day, is a great day to GET OUTSIDE! 🦋

Any guesses what young Marie used to call them?

09/30/2026

🍎 The countdown is ON.
Apple Festival weekend is almost here.
📅 October 3 & 4

Now's the time to:
✔ Save the dates
✔ Make plans with the family
✔ Send the event to a friend
✔ Check the Festival Guide: jampd.com/apple-festival-2026-complete-event-guide/
✔ Start getting excited for fall in the parks

We've been looking forward to this one. Have you?

Fall is coming to Allen County, and with it comes one of the Johnny Appleseed Metropolitan Park District’s favorite seasonal traditions.

09/29/2026

Some events make the calendar.
Others become traditions. 🍎

Maybe you remember coming to the Apple Festival as a kid.
Maybe it's something you now bring your own children or grandchildren to enjoy.
Or maybe 2026 will be the year you experience it for the first time.

That's one of our favorite things about community traditions: every year adds another story!

The Apple Festival returns October 3–4, and we can't wait to see familiar faces and welcome some new ones.

We want to hear your Apple Festival memories!
How long have you been coming, or what do you remember most from years past?

09/28/2026

🍎 Planning your Apple Festival weekend? Start here.
October 3-4 will be here before we know it, so we've put together your guide to the 2026 Apple Festival.

Inside, you'll find the latest Festival information to help you plan your visit, including:
• Event dates and times
• What to expect
• Festival activities
• Visitor information

Whether this is your first Apple Festival or you're a longtime attendee, bookmark the guide now and check back as Festival weekend gets closer.

🔗 Read the 2026 Apple Festival Event Guide: jampd.com/apple-festival-2026-complete-event-guide/

Then send it to the person who's coming with you.!🍎

Fall is coming to Allen County, and with it comes one of the Johnny Appleseed Metropolitan Park District’s favorite seasonal traditions.

09/28/2026

Your weekly assignment: notice something you've walked past 100 times.
Photography has a way of making us slow down.
Suddenly a spiderweb becomes architecture.
A mushroom becomes a tiny landscape.
A familiar trail looks completely different in morning light.

So here's your challenge: Head outside this week and photograph ONE thing you might normally walk past.

Need inspiration?
📸 Texture on tree bark
🕸️ A dew-covered web
🌾 Late-season wildflowers
🦋 A pollinator at work
🍂 The first hint of fall color
🌅 Light moving through the trees

You don't have to submit the photo, but you might end up with something perfect for the 2026 Nature Photography Contest. 🔗 jampd.com/nature-photography-contest/

What are you going to look for first?

09/27/2026

While many of our feathered friends finished nesting months ago, American Goldfinches like to do things on their own schedule!

Goldfinches are late-summer and early-fall nesters, timing their nesting season with something they need in abundance: seeds and grasses from our fall prairies. 🌾

Those natural materials help them build their nests, but the seeds are important for another reason, too!

Unlike many songbirds that feed insects to their growing chicks, Goldfinches are strict vegetarians. 🌻 Their young are fed seeds rather than insects, making the abundance of seeds available this time of year especially important.
So while it may seem late in the season to be raising a family, for a Goldfinch, the timing makes perfect sense!

The next time you're outside, take a closer look at those fall prairies. There's a whole lot happening among the grasses and seed heads! 🌿

Have you spotted a Goldfinch in your yard or the parks lately?

09/26/2026

We’d love to see you this morning at the Lima Farmers Market! 🍎

Here’s the vendor list for the last market of the season 🍎 we can’t wait to see you there tomorrow!

Saturday, September 26th from 9-12p at 1365 N. Cable rd

- the BEST local vendors 🧑‍🌾
- live music by Ben Konop 🎷
- B.E.E.T.L.E. Vehicle activities by JAMPD 🐞
- treats and food items by Wafflicious Food Truck 🧇

Thank you, Lima, for your commitment and support this season! 💚