2 & 4 Dalton Avenue, the original Wayne National Forest headquarters, will feature trees, tricks, and treaters during Halloween 2019.

Athens, OH. Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl will give out memorabilia at Halloween Trick-or-Treat event (accompanied by employees, firefighters, and an engine) at the original Wayne NF compound located at 2 and 4 Dalton Avenue on Athens East Side.

BACKGROUND: Public Affairs Specialist Kelly Miller happens to live in the original Wayne NF ranger’s cabin at the old Forest Service compound in Athens. The structures on the two-acre compound were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. Though the office/ranger station was rebuilt after severe water damage, the historic ranger’s cabin, garage, and two large outbuildings are still standing. The property is no longer in the federal service, having been sold in the 1980s. The cabin is now managed as a private rental (where Kelly lives) in the Far East Side Neighborhood of Athens. The neighborhood is extremely popular on Halloween and receives 500+ trick-or-treaters and their families.

DETAILS: Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl will appear outside the cabin during the one-hour Halloween event, accompanied by two uniformed WNF employees/firefighters, who will hand out Smokey and Woodsy memorabilia to trick-or-treaters. Kelly will be with them in uniform, giving out her own candy. Another one or two uniformed firefighters will also come with a fire engine, which will be parked in the driveway. They will hand out other (different) Smokey memorabilia. Kelly will write up a short history of the compound, explaining that it was the original headquarters of the Wayne NF. It will briefly discuss the CCC and explain that they built the site’s structures and planted trees to help the landscape recover from deforestation and erosion. The article will end by explaining that the compound is no longer in the federal service and is currently privately owned and managed as a rental residency, but it is still an important landmark and part of the history of the Wayne NF and the city of Athens.

The article will be printed, laminated, and posted on the trifold tabletop display, and set up at the event for trick-or-treaters to view. It will be accompanied by historic photos of the compound and its early employees and CCC crews. There will also be images of the FS shield logo, the current headquarters building, and a general map showing the three WNF units and key features (Monday Creek OHV Trail System, Buckeye/North Country Trail, Lake Vesuvius, Lamping Homestead, Leith Run, etc.). Finally the display will invite viewers to follow the Wayne NF on social media, and maps and brochures will be available on the table.

Kelly will ask firefighter Jacob Kovolisky, who is very artistic, to carve one to three pumpkins with significant Forest Service signs: Smokey Bear, Forest Service shield logo, and Woodsy Owl. Kelly will provide the pumpkins, and the jack-o-lanterns will be displayed during the event next to the table top display.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the event and its accompanying display is to increase public awareness of the Wayne NF, its features, and its place in the history of southeast Ohio. It will help people recognize Forest Service symbols and differentiate our agency from other land management agencies.