Trailside Kicks Off Fall with Hay Rides, Campfires

Tickets are available for autumn evening hay rides and campfires at Trailside Nature and Science Center in Mountainside. Sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, the evenings include sing-alongs led by New Jersey musician Marc Muller, hot chocolate and marshmallows toasted over the fire.

Rides begin at 6:30 p.m. on the evenings of Oct. 1, 8, 9, 15, and 29. Tickets must be purchased in advance. They go on sale Sept. 7. The cost is $5 for Union County residents and $10 for out-of-county participants.

Marc Muller is a New Jersey musician, producer and arranger who has worked on PBS-TV, Food Network and Disney Channel productions, and has performed with Gretchen Wilson, Shania Twain, Dr. John, Carly Simon, Branford Marsalis, Elton John, Nickelback, and many other popular performers.

You can  buy tickets from noon to 5 p.m. every day at Trailside Nature and Science Center, located at 452 New Providence Road in Mountainside; or weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. at the Union County Administration Building on Rahway Avenue in Elizabeth.

For more information, call the Trailside Nature and Science Center at 908-789-3670; or the Union County Department of Parks & Community Renewal at 908-527-4900; or visit the Union County Web site at www.ucnj.org.