ASHLAND — Twelve-year-old Tyler West enjoys watching hawks in his neighborhood with his grandpa, David Stover.
Hawks have even built nests in his backyard before, West said.
So, with the Ohio School of Falconry coming to the first Fun Friday event of the summer, the event was a “can’t miss” for West and Stover.
The Fun Friday events, hosted by the Ashland United Way, offer free lunchtime entertainment for children once a month throughout the summer. It also provides free lunch and dessert to attendees. The first event in this summer’s lineup was held in partnership with the Ashland Public Library on Friday.
“It’s our way of giving back and promoting literacy,” said Stacy Schiemann, United Way’s executive director.
Charlene Tolbert, the director of the Ashland Public Library, plugged the summer reading program at the event. They’ve got something for all ages, from children to adults, she said.
Then, Sean O’Hara, a wildlife educator who contracts with the Ohio School of Falconry, took the stage as the event’s entertainment.
Birds of a feather
West happily yelled out answers to the trivia questions O’Hara asked the crowd.
O’Hara gave the crowd an opportunity to see four birds of prey: a barn owl, peregrine falcon, buzzard and Eurasian eagle owl. He held them on his arm, walking them around Foundation Plaza for the children in attendance to view up close. His presentation finished by bringing a family onto the stage and allowing one of the birds to fly between them.
O’Hara also gave the crowd a brief explanation of what he does with the Ohio School of Falconry.
While sometimes he offers presentations like the one in Ashland Friday afternoon, he also said more of his job lies in supporting raptor rehabilitation efforts. Birds of prey have around a 90% mortality rate in their first year of life, and that’s something O’Hara and the School of Falconry work to combat.
“I wouldn’t be doing what I do if somebody hadn’t handed me a book one day,” O’Hara told the crowd. “That book was ‘My Side of the Mountain.'”
That book follows a 15-year-old who leaves home to live on his grandfather’s abandoned farm in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York. In it, Sam, the main character, has a falcon companion that keeps him company.
“If I come back and check in next week and nobody’s checked out that book, I’ll be upset,” O’Hara joked.
Future Fun Fridays
United Way will host two more Fun Fridays before the summer’s end. All the free events will be hosted at Foundation Plaza from 11:45 a.m. to around 1 p.m.
The next event is scheduled for July 12, and the final one for Aug. 2. Schiemann said the July date will feature a magic show as the entertainment.
