Submitted Photo Andy Dufresne, Grape Discovery Center Board Member, and Kimberly Bowes, Erie Traveling Zoo Education Program Coordinator, make plans for an Outreach Program at the Center Friday for a Children’s Learning Day.

The Erie Zoo located in Erie, Pennsylvania, will bring its Traveling Zoo Outreach Program to the Grape Discovery Center in Westfield on Friday, July 12 for a Children’s Learning Day at the Center. The program will be free and open to the public.

Andy Dufresne, a board member of the Concord Grape Belt Heritage Association, Inc. which operates the center noted “We are very pleased to sponsor the Erie Zoo Outreach Program. It should be a fun learning experience for kids. We expect them to bring several small animals and ‘show and tell’ their stories. The formal 45 minute program presentation will be at 10:30 a.m. inside the Center, rain or shine. The animals will be on display for another hour following the presentation with a Zoo staff member answering questions.”

Following the zoo program will be a “Kids Learn About Grape Growing” program on the patio right next to the grape vineyard.

Dufresne, who will do the presentation, added “Lots of visitors to the area are not familiar with grape growing which is pretty unique to our region. This presentation will be geared to children and cover topics like “Why is this a good place to grow grapes“, “what are the seasonal stages in grape development,” “how are grapes harvested” and “what happens to the grapes once they are harvested,” and other questions the children, or their parents, come up with.”

Older children will then be able to complete the “Grape Scavenger Hunt” by finding the clues in the Grape Exhibit Room to the “Scavenger Hunt Questions.” Young kids will be able to ‘paint a flower on a rock’ to take home.

The Center will have hot dogs and beverages for sale.

Established in 2004, the Concord Grape Belt Heritage Association, along with the Grape Discovery Center, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a mission of encouraging and supporting the grape and wine industries within the region. The Center is located at 8305 Main Street in Westfield, NY. It houses a gift shop, tasting room, outdoor patio and the Stanley Star Exhibit Room that tells the rich history of the Concord grape and the grape industry in this region. The tasting room provides visitors an opportunity to taste wines from many local wineries with the ability to purchase a favorite bottle of wine in the gift shop. The Steve Baran Memorial Patio overlooks a vineyard and provides up close viewing of grape vines. The tasting room is available for small gatherings of up to 40 people. For information on renting this beautiful venue, contact Manager Christina McKane at 326-2003. Join us every week for Wine With Us Wednesdays, 5-8 p.m. Visit www.grapediscoverycenter.com, to learn about upcoming events and current hours of operation, and remember to “like” us on Facebook.