Visitors took a night-time, not-scary stroll at the Gorman Discovery Center garden

Kansas City, Mo. – Some came as butterflies and left as bats, and all left with treats when the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and partners hosted HOWLoween on Oct. 15 at the Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center in Kansas City. The annual nature and community themed event drew about 650 visitors for a night-time stroll in the outdoor native plant garden.  

HOWLoween was hosted by MDC, the Kansas City Police Department, and 28 other neighborhood organization partners. Children and parents, most in costumes, visited the tent with activities such as math games, dissecting owl pellets, and chatting with police officers and MDC conservation agents. They walked the path in the center’s outdoor native plant garden to see live owls, spiders, community organization tables, edible insects, and nocturnal wildlife on display.

MDC’s Gorman Discovery Center welcomes visitors year-round for nature and conservation programs. The center is at 4750 Troost Ave. in the heart of Kansas City, east of the Country Club Plaza. For more information, visit https://mdc.mo.gov/discoverycenter.