Jennings Environmental Education Center, Route 528 near the intersection of Routes 8 and 173, offers "Ferns: Beauty Without the Bloom" at 2 p.m. Oct. 3 Learn to identify local ferns and investigate their life cycle on a 90 minute guided walk with Jennings staff. Regular hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and on weekends as scheduled. The trails are open daily from sunrise to sunset for hiking. Call 724-794-6011.

<B>McConnells Mill State Park</B>, Slippery Rock Township, Lawrence County, will be the site of the 18th annual Heritage Festival from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. The festival celebrates the operational time period of the gristmill — from 1852 to 1928 — and costumed vendors will display crafts inspired by this era. Activities include bluegrass music, Ask Trapper John, free tours of the mill, and a hayride shuttle to and from the mill plus a Civil War encampment. Admission and parking are free. Call 724 368-3612 or send e-mail to mcmill@localnet.com.<B>Venture Outdoors North</B> hosts a beginner kayak paddle on Saturday at Raccoon Creek State Park in Beaver County. Visit www.ventureoutdoors.org.