Robin Hok hopes that the third time is the charm -- or at least charming -- for Family Day at Todd Sanctuary.

The 22-year-old naturalist intern at Todd, the Audubon Society's 176-acre reserve in Buffalo Township, has been busy planning the revival of the celebration Saturday. The once-traditional day of recreational and educational outdoor activities existed only in memory for almost a decade, until it was reinstated in the summer of 2003.

Relentless downpours that year, however, made that celebration a washout.

Not discouraged, last year's naturalist intern, Graham Bier, tried again, this time with what Hok called "enormous success."

Hok's goal is to do even better.

Bier, son of former Todd naturalist Charles Bier, remembers Family Day from when he was younger.

"I was a pretty little kid at the time, but I remembered [Family Day] as an exciting day full of activities, and that it brought a lot of people to the sanctuary, so I wanted to bring it back," he said.

Hok, a friend and former classmate of Graham Bier's at Oberlin College, was impressed to see that last year's event drew more than 100 visitors.

"I tried to build [on] last year's momentum in hopes that if we have another really successful event, we'll be back on track for Family Day to become a tradition again, and we'll be able to bring people who wouldn't normally see the sanctuary in for a day of education and recreation," Hok said.

The event at the sanctuary on Kepple Road is free and designed for people of all ages and interests who want to spend a summer Saturday outdoors, whether they prefer to picnic in the sun or walk the reserve's shady trails.

Family Day starts at 8 a.m. with a bird walk and wraps up in the evening with an "owl prowl," appropriate for the Audubon Society-sponsored event. The rest of the day is dotted with optional hikes, a panel discussion on the Buffalo Creek Watershed, art projects, scavenger hunts and educational talks by environmental experts, including a number of former Todd naturalists. Time has been set aside for a picnic lunch and campfire dinner, but visitors must bring their own food for both meals, including food to roast for dinner.

When first organized as a way for Audubon Society members to relax and socialize, Family Days had a very loose and limited itinerary, Hok said. But now that the event is intended to attract not only nature enthusiasts but also families and those unfamiliar with Todd, Hok tried to pack the day with activities linked under one broad theme, she said.

"As a theme for the entire event, I'm trying to give the people who come a big-picture sense of where the sanctuary is geographically and politically speaking, and what kinds of threats could be moving towards it in coming years," she said.

"Because of my focus on more of a big-picture sense of the entire area, it may be that I get some different kinds of people coming, and that's really what my goal is."

The activities will play to the varying levels of expertise of those who attend, Hok added, so neither amateurs nor enthusiasts will be disappointed.

"Part of the presentation by the watershed association will be geared to beginners," she explained, "but they're also going to be talking about restoration techniques and conservation on a more in-depth level that may interest those who might not normally come out for a day of just family activities."

Though not an area native, Hok raves about Todd and the prospects of Family Day as if she grew up walking the sanctuary's paths.

"Coming out here is a way to introduce your family to nature that's not prepackaged and precut, like some summer camp programs nowadays," she said. "Todd is this gorgeous, virtually untouched piece of history right in people's back yards, and I want people in the area to come take advantage of that."