Educational attractions at the DNREC Building and a full schedule of activities, presentations and games.

HARRINGTON – With the 2016 Delaware State Fair throwing open the gates tomorrow for its fun-filled run (Thursday, July 21 thru Saturday, July 30), DNREC is again right in the middle of the annual extravaganza – with more environmental displays than ever at the Fair, more Delaware State Parks presentations in celebrating Parks’ 65^th anniversary, and game prizes to be won by kids of all ages from testing their knowledge about the state’s natural resources from taking in all those displays and presentations. All in the DNREC Education Building, on East Rider Rd., near the Center Ice Rink on the fairgrounds.

DNREC’s Funhouse of Science, located in the building’s main room, features a dozen displays from DNREC’s divisions and programs offering information and activities on everything from increasingly popular “living shorelines” to improving Delaware’s air quality to making recycling a lifestyle choice. New this year: DNREC’s refurbished Energy House, plus displays on living shorelines, Delaware’s tax ditches and climate change. State Fair visitors young and older also are invited to play DNREC’s scavenger hunt game for “hunting down” facts about Delaware natural resources and environmental knowledge that can be found within the DNREC building, and to pick from a wide array of prizes when they succeed in completing the hunt.

Outside the building, don’t miss T-Rex, the Division of Energy & Climate’s mobile solar power station – you can even plug in your phone for a quick charge … with clean energy from the sun! Back inside the building, DNREC’s On Stage theater offers a preview of programs from parks, nature centers and other facilities statewide owned and operated by the Department’s Divisions of Fish & Wildlife, Parks & Recreation and Watershed Stewardship. Stop by daily to learn more about Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and what we have to offer – and discover unique new places you and your family can visit!

DNREC’s Fun House of Science

Adults and kids of all ages are invited to visit DNREC’s Fun House of Science at the Delaware State Fair July 21-30 where they can discover the science behind the work DNREC does to protect the environment and Delaware’s natural resources. DNREC’s building includes displays, hands-on activities and educational games with prizes, as well as live animal shows and presentations about subjects from maritime history to geology to Delaware’s unique plants and animals in its air-conditioned theater, DNREC On Stage. Tropo, the Division of Air Quality’s big blue mascot, also will be making a special appearance. The Fun House of Science, located in DNREC’s Education Building on East Rider Road on the Fairgrounds, is free and open to the public from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m., every day during the fair. For more information, visit www.dnrec.delaware.gov or call 302-739-9902.

DNREC On-Stage Schedule

• Thursday, July 21
  • Noon – 3 p.m.: See Live Horseshoe Crabs! Learn fascinating facts about this unique and ancient Bayshore species from DNREC’s Aquatic Resources Education Center staff – and see them up close.
• Friday, July 22
  • Noon – 3 p.m.: Create Power … with Water and Wind! Watch a steam engine and water wheel in action, and then create your own pinwheel to harness wind and make energy from our natural resources. (From Delaware State Parks’ Auburn Heights Preserve)
  • 3 – 6 p.m.: Explore the Cape’s Coastal Habitats! Follow clues to investigate habitats on Cape Henlopen – maritime forest, sand dunes and salt marsh – and learn about the animal and plant species that call the Cape home. (From Cape Henlopen State Park)
• Saturday, July 23
  • Noon – 3 p.m.: Discover Geology of White Clay Creek! Touch rocks and minerals that created White Clay Creek’s watershed and learn how geologists can read Earth’s history in these pieces of our planet.

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  Sunday, July 24

  • Noon – 3 p.m.: Bringing the Zoo to You! Meet a few of the unique residents of Delaware’s own Brandywine Zoo and learn about where and how they live.
• Monday, July 25 – Senior Day
  • Noon – 3 p.m.: Go Down in the Paw-Paw Patch! Learn about North America’s largest yet little-known native fruit tree, the pawpaw, and its role in the life of the zebra swallowtail butterfly. (From Alapocas Run/Wilmington State Parks)
  • 3 – 6 p.m.: Wiggly Worms at Work! See red wiggler worms at work in a compost bin and discover how these dirt-dwellers help us by creating soil. (From Bellevue State Park)
• Tuesday, July 26 – Kids Day
  • 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.: Meet Tropo! DNREC’s Division of Air Quality’s big blue mascot will entertain visitors while promoting the importance of clean air in Delaware. Shows on the half hour.
  • Noon – 3 p.m.: Build Your Own Horseshoe Crab! Kids of all ages are invited to color and create their own model horseshoe crab, and learn more about this unique aquatic species. (From the Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve)
  • 3 – 6 p.m.: Make Slate Cutting Tools! Learn how primitive cultures created slate cutting tools and practice your own primitive skills with a park naturalist. (From Killens Pond State Park)
• Wednesday, July 27 – Armed Forces Day/Military Appreciation Day
  • Noon – 3 p.m.: Maritime History and Beach Creatures! Learn about Delaware’s seafaring past and try tying sailor’s knots … then get to know beach-dwelling terrapins and osprey. (From the Indian River Life-Saving Station)
  • 3 – 6 p.m.: Play Colonial Games! Costumed interpreters on the DNREC building porch invite visitors to play games and check out toys from Colonial times. (From the First State Heritage Park)

  

  • 3 – 6 p.m.: Travel Back to the Civil War Days! Interpreters in period costume invite children to play games and try on period costumes, then march in children’s infantry drills. (From Fort Delaware State Park)
• Thursday, July 28 – Governors Day/Senior Day
  • 11 a.m. – Noon: Join DNREC’s Volunteer Olympics! Get a taste of some of the volunteer opportunities DNREC offers by competing in fast and fun games including beach grass planting and horseshoe crab counting … with prizes.
  • Noon – 3 p.m.: Play Operation Think Tank! Answer quiz questions about water, its uses and sources and what we can do to protect this vital resource. (From Brandywine Creek State Park)
  • 1 – 2 p.m.: DNREC Awards at Mann Tharp Pavilion! DNREC’s Young Environmentalists, Youth Fishing Tournament winners, Wetland Warriors, Volunteers of the Year, Hunting and Fishing Photo Contest winners and Rain Barrel Art Contest winners will be recognized. Also, get a close-up look at DNREC’s largest environmental Emergency Response Team vehicle, known as “The Beast.”
  • 2 p.m.: Rain Barrel Know-How! Learn how to assemble your own rain barrel and start storing water for many uses in your own yard. (From DNREC’s Watershed Assessment and Management Section)

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    3 – 6 p.m.: Meet Creatures from the Bay! Touch live horseshoe crabs and other aquatic species from the Delaware Bay in a touch tank and play games and activities with the staff of the DuPont Nature Center.

• Friday, July 29
  • Noon – 3 p.m.: Skins, Scat and Tracks – and a Living Fossil! Two fascinating programs from the Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve: a close-up look at identifying animals by their tracks, scat and skins, and a look at Delaware’s resident living fossil, the horseshoe crab. Presentations at noon, 1 and 2 p.m.
  • 3 – 6 p.m.: Living Life in a Swamp! Learn about the animals that live in wetland areas and meet two swamp-dwellers: a box turtle and a corn snake. (From Trap Pond State Park)
  • 4:30 – 9 p.m.: How Does Your Deer Measure Up? Learn how Boone & Crockett’s white-tailed deer scoring system works, see some examples of mounted record-holders and get your own evaluated. (On the DNREC Bldg. porch)
• Saturday, July 30
  • Noon – 3 p.m.: Living Life in a Swamp! Learn about the animals that live in wetland areas and meet two swamp-dwellers: a box turtle and a corn snake. (From Trap Pond State Park)
  • 3-6 p.m.: Reptiles and Amphibians of Delaware! Meet those often-unnoticed creatures that crawl, hop, swim and slither in our wetlands, woods and waterways. (From Killens Pond State Park)
  • 5 p.m.: Live Music with Switchback! Local band Switchback brings their upbeat mix of rock and pop to DNREC’s front porch.

Media Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 46, No. 262

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