By JESSA PEASE / Staff Writer

PELHAM— The Alabama Wildlife Center, headquartered in Oak Mountain State Park, is hosting a hoot of a good time at its annual Owl-o-ween event. The Halloween festivities will bring together all kinds of owls and other raptors, allowing families to get up close and celebrate the season.

“We are just excited about Owl-o-ween,” said executive director of AWC Doug Adair. “It’s a family-friendly, fun way for people that maybe have not been to the Alabama Wildlife Center to come up, find out a little more about what we do and meet some amazing raptors that we have here in Alabama. It’s really just a fun time.”

This year’s festivities will be Oct. 24 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at the AWC. Kids can choose to dress up and enjoy candy, games and face painting while exploring the activities the wildlife center provides.

Adair said this is the second year Owl-o-ween includes an activity called Owl Prowl, where families will explore a walkway and watch songbirds through the eyes of an owl. They will also have a creepy crawly table, which Adair said the kids always like.

Owl-o-ween would not be complete without the owls themselves. In addition to the resident owls at the AWC, the Alabama 4-H center and Rise Raptor Project, Inc. Maximus, a Eurasian eagle owl, will make a guest appearance as well.

“It’s the largest owl species in the world,” Adair said. “(It’s) a beautiful animal.”

The afternoon’s activities will also include the release of a raptor back into the wild, and the AWC’s Birds of Prey show.

Last year, about 600 people visited Owl-o-ween, and Adair expects a similar turnout this year. Events like this one are important to the wildlife center because it helps raise awareness about the wildlife in Alabama, according to Adair.

“Education is a big part of our mission at the AWC,” Adair said. “In addition to rescue, rehabilitation and release back into the wild, we have a mission to raise awareness about the wonderful wildlife resources that we are blessed with here in Alabama and about the need for responsible preservation and protection of those resources.”

Alabama is second only to Florida in wildlife bio-diversity per square acre. Adair said they do everything they can to make sure people appreciate the resources, and to protect it for future generations.

“Just bring the whole family,” he said. “It’s a free event with park admission and it’s just a great, fun afternoon to celebrate the season and have a lot of fun at the wildlife center.”

For more information, visit Awrc.org/Owl-o-ween.