ELLISON BAY (NBC 26) — With beautiful weather in Ellison Bay, Newport State Park is celebrating what it has to offer with Newport Wilderness Days.
"It's a big event," Newport State Park Natural Resources Educator Beth Bartoli said about the three-day event. "Sometimes, Newport State Park is an unsung hero, so to speak. We're a smaller park attendance wise compared to the other bigger parks in the area."
Saturday's activities included:
- Coffee on the beach
- A guided walk on the Sugarbush Trail
- Learning about Door County's trees and shrubs
- Learning about fossils at Newport State Park
- Making s'mores at a campfire
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Events are done in partnership with the parks friends' group, the Newport Wilderness Society.
For Bartoli, the weekend— which has celebrated Newport State Park since 1992— is special.
"I used to come here many, many years ago and I've worked here for 12 years," she said when asked about the event history. "So, to see the progression of love for this park that our friends' group has and our volunteers have and the people are so happy to be here. It's amazing."
As the tradition continues, Bartoli hopes neighbors are amazed as well by what the park has to offer.
"It's another aha moment," she said. "That sense of wonder like 'oh my goodness.' If that doesn't make you feel small, there's something wrong. We have a big, big universe out there."
The festivities wrap up on Sunday, with these events happening:
- Forest Forensics (9 to 10 a.m.)
- Newport History Walk (11 a.m. to 12 p.m.)
- Do You See What I See? Binocular and Telescope Use 101 (1 to 2 p.m.)
- From Dark Sky to the Celestial River: Newport's Unique View of the Night Sky (3:30 to 4:30 p.m.)
- Universe in the Park (7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.)
