Nature Center

Nuts are still green and mushrooms too risky, but the young members of Piney Run Nature Center's Ecology Club foraged successfully last week for wild edibles.Ice cream was the only store-bought fare when the nine youngsters returned to the center to feast on nature's bounty.The ice cream was slathered with a syrup made from wild black cherries -- heated to remove the poison from their pits. It was washed down with a rather bland sumac tea -- brewed from the nonpoisonous staghorn variety.The group of 9-to-13-year-olds set out after school Thursday.

In the old-fashioned, single-room Sparks Bank -- where deposits and withdrawals flowed for nearly 40 years -- a different kind of wealth now rules.Butterflies, turtles and tadpoles invite children to come and play, while seashells, foxtails and giant pinecones lie in cubbyholes awaiting curiosity seekers.Welcome to the new Sparks Bank Nature Center, a hodgepodge of hands-on nature exhibits for children ages 3 through 8 that has transformed a rundown rural landmark into something of a Smithsonian in miniature.

In Baltimore County Nature Center will hold its annual fall festival, PumpkinFest, on Saturday. The family event will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Attractions will include childrens crafts, games, scarecrow stuffing, animals, music and food. The nature center is at 8400 Greenspring Ave. Admission is $8 per car. Information: 410-484-2413.

Hashawha Environmental Center in Westminster has canceled its Maple Sugarin' Festival, scheduled for Sunday, because of weather conditions and inadequate parking. However, Bear Branch Nature Center, on the Hashawha grounds at 300 John Owings Road, will be open from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. The nature center will offer maple sugar products for sale, movies, planetarium shows and live animal demonstrations. Information: 410-848-2517.

The first thing you notice about wildlife artist Frank Burt Smoot is his gentle, courteous manner and his reticence in speaking of his own achievements.Only when the subject of destroying natural forestland to construct a highway is introduced do you catch a glimpse of the passion that has for more than six decades fired this prominent conservationist's concern for the environment.Thousands of Carroll countians are familiar with Smoot's realistic paintings of fish and wildlife through exhibitions at the Westminster Outdoor Art Show, Piney Run Nature Center and Hashawha Nature Center.

On December 1, 2004, JUDITH ANN ENGELHARDT; devoted mother of Kelly Marie Hobbs, Kimberly Ann Storch and Karen Lynn Smith; cherished grandmother of Henry & Hannah Storch, Katlyn Renae and Connor Smith; wonderful companion Gary W. Krach. There will be a Memorial Service on Thursday Dec. 9, 2004, at 11AM at Marshy Point Nature Center, Marshy Point Rd., Chase, MD. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Nature Center or to St. Jude's Children's Hospital. Funeral arrangements are by the family owned Evans Chapel of Memories - Parkville, 8800 Harford Rd., Baltimore.

Outdoor fashion show Tomorrow from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Mount Vernon boutique Enigmatology sponsors "Fashion on Charles" - a fashion show at Mount Vernon Square. Designers from San Francisco, New York and Baltimore will show their threads. Everything from ready-to-wear to couture will be on the catwalk. If you like what you see, you can buy it there. General admission is free; a seat near the catwalk costs $5. Mount Vernon Square is on Monument Street between St. Paul and Cathedral streets.

The lowdown -- Create holiday ornaments from natural materials at Oregon Ridge Nature Center this weekend. The center will provide teasel, nuts, pine cones and other natural materials for the decorations. If you go -- The event is 2 p.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The center is at 13555 Beaver Dam Road in Cockeysville. $2 per person is due in advance. Call 410-887-1815 for reservations. Stories at Cylburn The lowdown -- Today, Cylburn Arboretum hosts a Children's Nature Story Hour. Kids ages 3-6 and their parents can listen to stories and tour the gardens from 10 a.m.-11 a.m. If you go -- The story hour is $1 per child and free for adults.

At the Bear Branch Nature Center, black holes and supernovae have become as popular as hiking trails and wildlife exhibits.Tonight, about 70 astronomy enthusiasts will fill the center's planetarium for two sold-out shows presented by the Westminster Astronomical Society."