UPDATE: December is 'Frost Fest' at Environmental Center

"Frost Fest" at will run from Dec. 2-18 at the center's headquarters on the edge of the Great Swamp in Basking Ridge, kicking off with a dog-sledding demonstration on Saturday, Dec. 3 and the opening of an indoor winter wonderland exhibit the previous night, Friday.

Naturalists at the center, part of the Somerset County Park Commission, will lead the series of programs for both children and adults that will be part of "Frost Fest 2011." The program celebrates the winter season in New Jersey and beyond.

Visitors to the EEC, at 190 Lord Stirling Road, are invited to discover a world of winter fun indoors and out throughout the month. The dogsled demo, which also was held last December, is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. on Dec. 3.

The theme for that weekend, which also will include a snowshoeing demonstration, will be "outdoor fun," even if some of the events are indoors.

The following weekend, Dec. 10-11 — with a theme of "get crafty — will include other activities. An ice sculpting demonstration will be held that Sunday, from noon to 3 p.m.

The final weekend, Dec. 17-18, will have a theme of hibernation. The naturalists will play host for the EEC's inaugural "Hibernation Masquerade" from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 18, from noon to 4 p.m. the naturalists will lead the Hibernation Masquerade.

Guests are invited to wear their pajamas, make masks, listen to stories by the fire, play, and dance while saying goodnight to animals that will sleep through the winter. The masquerade will be attended by such special costumed guests, such as a "bat" who will be among the creatures to make an appearance before heading off to hibernation, said naturalist Carrie Springer.

The Fuzzy Lemons, a kid-friendly rock band, is scheduled to perform between 2:30-4 p.m.

Details on the month-long series of programs may be found at the Somerset County Park Commission website.

Again this year, the Exhibit Hall at the Environmental Education Center will be transformed into a beautiful winter environment with outdoor scenes that replicate the various ecosystems during the winter months. Each scene includes animals, birds, trees, and other nature-related items. On display is a beaver with an actual tree that was taken down by a beaver on the EEC property. The public is invited to participate by creating an artificial tree with a natural winter theme, a snowman or a native animal exhibit.

New this year at the winter wonderland will be exhibits by about eight — so far — groups portraying a tree and natural scene from the local environment, Springer said.

For an application to join the indoor display or for more information, please contact naturalist Monica Juhasz at 908-766-2489 x328 or e-mail at mjuhasz@scparks.org.

As part of "Frost Fest," everyone who enrolls in one of the programs at the EEC will receive a program passport, one per household.

For each of the scheduled programs that a member of a household attends, the passport will be stamped. For every ten stamps, the family will receive a Leisure Pursuit card that may later be used toward any Somerset County Park Commission program.

The Somerset County Park Commission Environmental Education Center is located within Lord Stirling Park, in the Basking Ridge section of Bernards Township, and is nestled on 425 acres of the western portion of the Great Swamp Basin of the Passaic River. A swamp vivarium, and an environmentally based library are located within the center itself. The EEC may be reached at 908-766-2489.