upcoming event

The Garden Club of Kent Monthly Dinner Meeting

DATE/TIME: Monday, Nov. 17, 2025 at 6:00 p.m.

COST: $16 per person (cash or check only at the door)

LOCATION: Roy Smith Shelter House, 601 Middlebury Rd, Kent OH

RSVP: By Thursday, Nov. 13: BackyardPest@gmail.com

WE'RE TESTING A NEW RSVP OPTION! Register for the dinner online at 

https://form.jotform.com/252474617300048

On the Dinner Menu:  Baked Italian chicken, vegetarian rigatoni, green beans almoden, parsley potatoes, tossed salad, rolls and butter, cake and cold beverages. 

Presentation:  "Creatures of the Night Sky: How Our Gardens Benefit Bats and Bat Benefit Us" with Todd and Ann Cartner

While some people get the willies from bats — it's important to note that no bats will be attending this meeting — these furry flyers are quite interesting and good citizens. Here are some fun bat facts from the U.S. Dept. of the Interior:

- There are more than 1,400 bat species worldwide. 

- We wouldn't have bananas, avocados or mangoes without bats.

- Bats are the only true flying mammal.

- Bats are fast. Some species can reach over 100 miles per hour.

- And they have bellybuttons!

Learn more when Todd and Ann Cartner present "Creatures of the Night Sky: How Our Gardens Benefit Bats and Bat Benefit Us." What you can’t see can’t hurt you … right? .. and might actually be helping you in ways you could never imagine. Learn about Ohio’s bats, the severe challenges they face and the many services that bats provide as both pollinators and insect predators.

Todd and Ann, residents of Suffield, Ohio, founded Discover Bats Ohio in 2024 as a bat advocacy, education and research organization. As two proud (OCVN) Citizen Scientists, their work has taken them all over Ohio, Michigan and Western Pennsylvania to teach thousands of adults and children about these misunderstood and under-appreciated creatures. They also conduct research for Portage Parks District, Ohio Department of Natural Resources and other organizations. As they like to say, and say often, “Bats … who knew?”