The 5th Annual Monarch Migration Festival is quickly approaching.
Event activities include an open talk on the endangerment status of the monarch butterfly with conservation experts, a nature-themed art exhibition hosted by Natalie Shelley, short stories told by local Galesburg librarians, a short educational seminar on the life cycle of the monarch butterfly, and a butterfly costume parade to end the day.
Visitors will have the chance to see real monarch butterflies at Ms. Mari Posa’s mobile classroom, as well as adopt a tagged monarch butterfly for release during the festival. Door prizes will also be available for those who complete a ‘Passport of Experiences’ activity at the festival.
Rhonda Brady, Master Gardener, Conservation Specialist, and the University of Illinois Extension, talks about how the event originally got started…
“The University of Illinois Extention, Master Gardeners, and Master Naturalists, are involved, Pheasants Forever is involved, the Knox County Farm Bureau ‘Ag in the Classroom’ is very involved. We wanted to have an affordable festival for families, to get them outside a little bit, and enjoy nature. And, we were hoping, I was hoping, personally, for fifty to eighty people, and we had eight hundred show up.”
The festival, held at the Lakeside Nature Center in Galesburg, will be held on Saturday, September 7th from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.
