Sat 6/18
As part of the National Park Service’s centennial anniversary this year, the Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP), which was established in 1974 as a national recreation area, is partaking in its own festivities. Specifically, the Countryside Conservancy is hosting “Picnic in the Park,” taking place June 18 at Howe Meadow in Peninsula.
Accessible from the towpath and located near Indigo Lake and the Beaver Marsh Boardwalk, the serene venue acts as a perfect epicenter for hiking, biking and walking, as well as catching a ride on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.
In addition to promoting the public to picnic in the CVNP, Countryside Farmers’ Market is offering packed lunches along with a pop-up craft mart that features maker vendors the BusyBeehive, Vile Femme, Sticks and Stones, Lucas Clay Studio, Ever Iris Designs and Buckeye Clothing Company.
As for the picnic lunch baskets, the deadline passed for the June 18 affair; however, Countryside Farmers Market will be hosting a second event on 8/20. CoolCleveland talked to CVNP community engagement supervisor Pam Barnes about the park and the special picnic day.
What’s the idea behind the “Picnic in the Park?”
National Picnic Day is June 18. The way we’re celebrating is through the Countryside Farmers Market, which takes place every Saturday. You can get a picnic lunch or you can also just come to the market and get your own stuff for the picnic. Also, we’ll have maps available for suggested picnic spots in the park and hiking suggestions. Really, the idea is to get people outside and to say, “Let’s go have a picnic.”
What are a few of those great picnic locations?
I think one of them might be around the Brandywine Falls area. It’s really special. It’s one of the most visited places in the park because of its 60-foot waterfall. There’s a boardwalk that leads down to the waterfall. It’s a beautiful hike that goes about a mile and a half or so that you can take a loop hike around the gorge. Another is you can go to the Ledges area. There’s a huge open field with lots of picnic tables or spots you can put a blanket on the ground. There’s a Ledges Overlook and a Ledges Trail that is about a two-and-a-half mile loop that you can do any combination of a short piece of it or the whole thing.
To be fair, the CVNP is filled with dozens upon dozens of great picnic areas.
Absolutely. There’s a ton of spots in the park. There are lots of places designated and lots of places with picnic tables. At the Farmers Market there are open spaces where you can plop yourself down. You can cross over Riverview Road and the towpath trail is right there. That’s what we’re encouraging, to fill out your day by going on a hike too.
How does the Countryside Conservancy play into the CVNP?
Countryside Conservancy is really a very unique thing in the National Park. It’s a farm-leasing program in which the park owns the property and there are nine working farms within the national park. The Countryside Conservancy is our nonprofit partner that operates that program. So these farmers, they live in and work these farms. The way they get to do that is by a competitive process. And then they get a very longtime lease on the property in which they need to build a business and need to show it’s a sustainable farm. There are educational programs that take place at the farms, and they run the weekly farmers market every Saturday.
Invariably, it just seems as though we are incredibly blessed in Northeast Ohio to have resources such as the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the Cleveland Metroparks and Lake Erie. All of which are quite inviting for a picnic.
Oh, you’re not kidding. It’s amazing what we have available to us.