Sandy Creek Nature Center, a 225-acre nature preserve and environmental education facility, is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a slate of events all year long, including a Golden Anniversary Celebration and Open House on Saturday, March 18, from 1-4 p.m.

The celebration will be held at the nature center’s Education and Visitor Center, 205 Old Commerce Road, Athens, roughly a mile north of the Athens Perimeter off Commerce Highway. The event is free and everyone is invited.

“Half a century of service calls for a party,” said Randy Smith, Facility Supervisor of the nature center. “Join us for an afternoon of fun and celebration, with special guests, speakers, entertainment, refreshments, activities and environmental education.”

Sandy Creek Nature Center was founded in 1973 by Northeast Georgia Nature Center, Inc., the predecessor of Sandy Creek Nature Center Inc. The founders were a group of local experts in fields such as forestry, planning, and education who saw an unmet need to enhance environmental education, spark love for the outdoors, and preserve green space in the fast-growing Athens area. The founders acquired the first 100 acres for the center and operated it until 1981, when they donated it to Clarke County and pivoted to partnering with local government to fulfill its mission.

Today, Sandy Creek Nature Center continues as a facility owned and operated by the Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services Department.

For more information, go to https://www.sandycreeknaturecenterinc.org/events .