May 19 Sunday
Protect Pomme de Terre will host a 5K Walk/Run May 19 at Outlet Park, below the dam.
$5 donationAll proceeds will be split 50/50 between Protect Pomme de Terre and Four Legs and Fur, animal adoption agency.
May 20 Monday
Let your imagination run wild with these art supplies and techniques including paints, pens, collages and more. Recommended for grades 7-12. No registration required.
Meet the local author of "Under the Fig Tree,” a new book exploring the healing power of community while facing the inevitability of death. Recommended for adults, ages 18 and older. No registration required.
May 21 Tuesday
Get ready to explore and create! What can you make using pipe cleaners during this interactive, hands-on workspace? Recommended for grades 7-12. No registration required.
May 23 Thursday
The invasion is happening! Once in more than a decade, millions of red-eyed, buzzing bugs are or will soon be just about everywhere in much of Missouri! Mass emergences of millions of periodical cicadas, which happen every 13 or 17 years, are happening this spring.
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) invites everyone to join its free, online Wild Webcast on the Cicadapocalypse on Thursday, May 23, from noon to 1 p.m.
The Wild Webcast will feature MDC Urban Wildlife Biologist Erin Shank who will share her expertise and excitement on the happening or pending mass emergences of periodical cicadas. Periodical cicadas are different from the familiar annual cicadas, which emerge from the ground every year and make their droning noise during the heat of late summer.
The Wild Webcast will answer many questions on the mass emergences of periodical cicadas. What are annual and periodical cicadas and how are they different? What will be happening, when, and where? Why is it happening and how do they know? When did this last happen and when will it happen next? Do they bite? What do they eat? What eats them? Do they hurt trees and plants? What is the life cycle? What do you do with the masses of shells and carcasses?
Register in advance at mdc.webex.com/weblink/register/rd6d7e500bd1293a82eebd4db2f9038a5. You will then receive an email confirmation before the event that includes information on how to join the Wild Webcast live on May 23 at noon.
If you enjoy mushrooms, look beyond spring morels to summer when various other edible mushrooms appear. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will offer a free virtual Foraging Summertime Mushrooms program from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 23.
Mike Snyder, a certified mushroom identification expert, will talk about mushrooms that appear in summer. Snyder will talk about how to find edible mushrooms and how to avoid the toxic ones. There will be a 30-minute question and answer session after his presentation.
This online class is open to all ages. Registration is required. To register, visit http://short.mdc.mo.gov/46m.
May 24 Friday
Picked up a new gadget and need help figuring it out? Bring your device to us for basic tech assistance or to get started on self-paced technology tutorials. Recommended for adults, ages 18 and older. No registration required.
May 25 Saturday
Support local artisan's booths.
The Springfield Conservation Nature Center will host a hike on the Blue Loop trail on the White River Valley Traill system at Table Rock Lake State Park.
This 3-mile trail is rated moderate in difficulty. Wear sturdy hiking shoes and bring trekking poles or a hiking stick if you have one. Bring lunch and a water bottle. Meet at the Nature Center and carpool.
Ages 18 to adult.
Registration required. Register online at mdc.mo.gov/SouthwestEvents or call 417-888-4237 for more information.
Swap your old buttons, pins and stories with others while participating in button making magic. Plus, door prizes. Recommended for all ages. No registration required.