No roads or bridges, no tiki bars or t-shirt shops. Biscayne National Park invites visitors of all ages to explore the sights and sounds of the real Florida Keys at this month’s installment of its popular Family Fun Fest events: Keys Kaleidoscope. The free event takes place on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2008 at the park's Dante Fascell Visitor Center from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Stations located around the visitor center provide a variety of interactive and hands-on activities, including:
* Tree Climbers - Discover two Keys critters that love just hanging out in trees!
* The Adventures of Charlotte - Experience island pioneer life with a giant board game.
* Project Runway - Hermit crabs get their clothes off the wrack in a zany relay race!
* Chain Chain Chain! - Learn about producers, herbivores and carnivores on the Keys as you build a food chain.
* The Million Dollar Question - Join game show host Egregious Trashbin for a look at the problem of marine debris.
Participants will receive a paper passport to be punched at each station as they complete the activities. Those who complete all five activities will earn a special button to help remember the day, and those who earn five buttons in a season will receive a Family Fun Fest Fanatic award in May.
Family Fun Fest takes place on the second Sunday of every month from January through May. The series is made possible through a grant from the Captain Bob Lewis Boat Center Yamaha Billfish Challenge and the Bobby Duryea Memorial Fund at the South Florida National Parks Trust. Additional support this month comes from the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserves, Office Depot, and a host of dedicated volunteers.
In 2008, each Family Fun Fest event will focus on a different aspect of the park’s resources. Future events include:
* Biscayne Bay-bies - March 9
You won’t find rattles, diapers or animal crackers in Biscayne Bay, but its still a nursery!
* Career Fair: 1878 - April 13
What did people do for a living on Biscayne Bay 130 years ago?
* Mangrove Mania - May 11
All trees are terrific, but mangroves are MAGNIFICENT!
The Dante Fascell Visitor Center is located at 9700 SW 328 Street, nine miles east of Homestead, Florida. Call 305-230-7275, extension 0 for more information.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
