Fall harvest celebration, Roush Lake, Oct. 20

Autumn fun will be available for all ages at J. Edward Roush Lake,
Oct. 20.   Be sure to wear your costume and bring a bag for collecting candy from 5 to 9 p.m. at Little Turtle Recreation Area's main shelter house. Be sure to wear your costume and bring a bag for collecting candy. Several games and activities kick off the evening.

A pumpkin carving contest will be held from 5 to 7:30 p.m.; pumpkins will be provided.  Contest judging will be at 7:45 p.m. Prizes will be awarded at 8 p.m.  Take a photo of your special ghoul at the Halloween photography area, complete with decorative props, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Bring your camera.  Enjoy friends and fellowship at the hot dog roast, 6 to 8 p.m. Food and drink provided.  Have some fun with an assortment of games and activities to be provided, 5 to 7:30 p.m. Candy will be awarded. Games and activities to be held, including bean bag toss, football throw, basketball shoot, dart throw, face painting, pumpkin painting, rubber band gun shoot, can knockdown, remote control truck race, and nut game.

Try your hand at breaking pinatas at 6:30 - 7 p.m., followed by a mummy wrap, 7:15 - 7:30 p.m.
After the games end, local groups will hold a "trunk or treat," complete with spooky decorations, from 8 to 9 p.m. Wear a costume for this safe method of trick-or-treating.

All children must be with a responsible adult. No child care is provided. Be sure to bring your family and friends to join the fun!  Admission is $ 3 per person, both child and adult.
This activity is in Huntington County on S.R. 5, just south of Huntington and the Roush Lake Dam in the Little Turtle Recreation Area. Call (260) 468-2165 for more information.

Visitors can enjoy Halloween tricks and treats as Mounds State Park offers a variety of fun fall activities October 19-21 & 27-28. 

"Each weekend has activities for kids of all ages and scare levels!  Older children and adults can enjoy the haunted hayride, while the younger children can encounter not-so-spooky woodland animals on an illuminated trail.  There will be plenty of Halloween fun to keep everyone entertained," says Interpretive Naturalist, Angie Manuel.

Excluding the Haunted Hayride, all activities are free and open to the public.  Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.  Admission to the park is $5.00 per car ($7.00 for out-of-state vehicles).  Call the Interpretive Center at 765-649-8128 for more information.

With cooler temperatures, fewer mosquitoes and the crunch of colorful autumn leaves underfoot, autumn is a great time to enjoy the 600 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails at the states' 33 state parks and reservoirs.

This fall could be the best yet with several improved hiking features available, including:

• The Adena Trace Trail at Brookville Lake, one of only a few long-distance hiking trails at a state property. The 30-mile trail combines several shorter trails to circle the lake and offers scenic views of hillsides, forests and the lake.
• At Brown County State Park, a 2.75-mile extension of Trail 9 connects Taylor Ridge Campground to Trail 7 at Ogle Lake. This new section, built primarily by The Hoosier Hikers Council, allows hikers to combine trails for long distance hikes. A half-mile section of Trail 6 was re-routed to eliminate steep, eroding slopes and provide access to scenic areas.
• Prophetstown State Parkadded a 1.8-mile, moderate trail through prairie and wetland. The trail follows one of the earthen terraces in the park and features an overlook deck, which allows views of the Wabash River floodplain.
• Indiana Dunes State Park is constructing an 800-foot boardwalk with a picnic deck and several overlook points through the award-winning Dunes Creek daylight project area. This boardwalk, funded with DNR ADA funds, will improve accessibility from the campground to the state park beach. The boardwalk is usable now and should be completed in early November.
• McCormick's Creek State Park's old wooden overlook for the McCormicks' Creek Falls has been replaced with a composite wooden structure. The project includes steps and water bars from the falls parking lot to reduce erosion, and an accessible trail to the falls from the Canyon Inn parking lot.
• O'Bannon Woods State Park staff members have cleared underbrush and overgrowth along approximately half of the 20-mile long Adventure Hiking Trail, and have added new directional posts that make this long-distance backpacking trail easier to follow. A new trail has also been added that connects the modern campground with the Nature Center and historic haypress.

Indiana State Parks and Reservoirs have more than 40 miles of mountain bike trails, including the following, which were added this year.

• Brown County State Park volunteers from the Hoosier Mountain Biking Association built a 2.3-mile beginner mountain bike trail from the family campground to near the fire tower. Two miles of intermediate trail were added to the existing trail system, bringing the total mountain bike miles in the park to 15.
• Potato Creek State Park, in partnership with the Northern Indiana Mountain Bike Association (NIMBA), opened a new trail this summer. This 6.6-mile multi-use trail offers both mountain bikers and hikers great riding and walking in this popular northern Indiana park. It contains single-track sections, switchbacks, and technical obstacles that even experienced mountain bikers may find challenging.
• The Bloodroot Trail at Salamonie Lake provides 13 miles of hiking or mountain biking. Users can purchase a patch for $2.99 after completing the trail, which begins at the Interpretive Center in Lost Bridge West State Recreation Area. The staff is developing a backpacking campground for this trail that will officially open in 2008.

Attention shutterbugs. You could win a prize package worth nearly $200 by entering your best digital photos of you, your family or friends enjoying Indiana's state parks and reservoirs by entering the DNR's photo contest, which runs through the end of November. 

It doesn't matter if the activity is hiking, fishing, biking, hunting, enjoying the inns, attending a program or special event, or just relaxing by the campfire, as long as it's happening this month or next. The DNR is looking for photos that show that Indiana's properties are great for renewing your spirits. 

Photos can be entered in one of two categories: age 12 and younger or 13 and older.
Photo subjects include one or more people enjoying the outdoors at an Indiana state park or reservoir during October or November, 2007.

The winner in each of the two age categories will receive a $100 gift certificate from Indiana State Park inns that can be used for lodging, restaurant meals or gift shop purchases at any of the seven Indiana State Park inns. The winner also receives a $50 gift certificate from Dick's Sporting Goods and a 2008 annual entrance pass for state properties.
To view complete contest rules and enter, go to http://interpretiveservices.in.gov/,pdf/Fall_Family_Fun_Outdoors_Photo_Contest.pdf.

The second-place winner in each age category receives a $25 gift certificate from Dick's, a 2008 annual entrance pass for state properties and a $25 CampIN Gift Card to use for camping, shelter or recreation-building reservations at a state park or reservoir. The third-place winner in each age category receives a $10 gift certificate from Dick's and a 2008 annual entrance pass.

All other photo contest entries will be included in a drawing for one of 13 Dick's gift certificates worth $10 each and a single-day entrance to an Indiana state park or reservoir.

For the potential to have your image used in any print publication, send images that are at least 300 pixels per inch (ppi) resolution, a minimum dimension of 5 x 7 inches, in JPEG format, and on a CD. Submission of less than 300 ppi may limit potential use to the DNR Web site.

No more than three photos may be entered per photographer.  Each photographer must complete the photography agreement and return it with his/her images. Images must be submitted on a CD.
The winning images will appear on the Healthy Parks-Healthy People page on the DNR Web site (www.dnr.in.gov/healthy). Publishable images will be used throughout 2008 on the site.