BFEC to host Heart of Ohio tour

The annual Heart of Ohio tour, which highlights Knox County locales that showcase the region's agricultural and environmental resources, will stop at the Brown Family Environmental Center (BFEC) this year. The tour, a popular regional event for more than twenty-five years, will take place on Saturday, October 2, and Sunday, October 3. The BFEC will welcome an expected 1,500 to 2,000 visitors between 1:00 and 7:00 p.m. on both days.

The tour functions as a kind of meandering day trip to interesting sites, with each location hosting an open house. Visitors drive from site to site, or to whichever sites most intrigue them, exploring places that may range from farms to factories, some of them rarely open to the public. It's a way for out-of-towners to learn about the people and culture of central Ohio, and for local residents to discover or rediscover riches in their own backyard.

In addition to the BFEC, this year's tour includes the Bladensburg Volunteer Fire Department, the new Wolf Run Regional Park in Mount Vernon, and the Harrison Grange. Other stops include the Elliott Family dairy farm, the sheep farm of Eric and Kate Helt, and the cattle farm of Chuck and Rita Dudgeon.

The BFEC, which was a tour stop in the mid-1990s, will provide guided tours of its grounds throughout both days. Visitors will be able to explore the center's hiking trails, gardens, and exhibits. BFEC staff and volunteers will be on hand to answer visitors' questions and discuss the diverse natural habitats found on the 400-acre preserve, the research conducted by Kenyon faculty members and students on the preserve, and the center's recreational and educational outreach programs.