Cacapon hosts walk in the park at night - WBOY.com: Clarksburg, Morgantown: News, Sports, Weather

Cacapon hosts walk in the park at night

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A cart path illuminated by a waxing gibbous moon invites visitors and guests to Cacapon Resort State Park to experience the early evening skies of November.

Cacapon Resort Naturalist Renee Fincham and a community resource center, Starting Points of Morgan County, are hosting a moonlight "Walk in the Park" at 6 p.m. Nov. 23. The waxing moon's phase will be 81.56 percent full. Open to the public without charge, the post-Thanksgiving day activity encourages families and friends to enjoy the outdoors with an evening walk.

"If the sky is clear, we'll have an exceptionally beautiful walk," Fincham said in a news release. "Not only should we see the moon and stars, but we'll no doubt see some of Cacapon's wildlife as well."

The walk begins at the golf course starter building and will use paved cart paths. Attendees should wear appropriate jackets or coats. Families with young children may use strollers, but pets are not permitted on this activity.

According to moon-phases.net, when the moon is more than one-half illuminated by the sun but not completely illuminated, it is called a waxing gibbous moon. The waxing gibbous occurs when the moon illumination is increasing.

The portable planetarium, STARLAB from the NASA IV&V Facility located in Fairmont, is scheduled for Nov. 24, in the Washington Conference Room at Cacapon Lodge. This program begins at 10 a.m. and is free.

STARLAB allows attendees an opportunity to learn about moon phases as well as constellations. An indoor program, the lab is an inflated enclosure about 20 feet high. A state-of-the-art projector is used to project night sky images inside the domed interpretative center.

Cacapon Resort State Park is located in Morgan County. A lodge, cabins, restaurant, golf course, hiking trails, nature center, riding stable and other outdoor recreation is onsite.

Cacapon has special rates for lodge and cabin stays in recognition of the 75th year of operation through December. The park opened to the public on July 1, 1937. Lodge room or cabin rentals of three or more consecutive days recognize $75 credit off the total room rental cost when asking for the Diamond Jubilee Rate. For more information about Cacapon Resort State Park, visit www.cacaponresort.com or call 304-258-1022.