4th Mountain Monarch Festival
Offering something for all ages, the 4th Annual Mountain Monarch Festival will be from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 3rd , at Gorges State Park, Sapphire, NC. This free event, hosted by the park and sponsored by Friends of Gorges State Park and other partners, will celebrate the monarch butterfly during its migration and bring attention to the species’ declining numbers.
The festival offers educational programs and exhibits as well as fun for the whole family, including children’s crafts, face painting by Macon Faces Face Painting, a butterfly hike and a Monarch Migration Passport to lead through the activities. The featured speakers will be Joyce Pearsall, Conservation Specialist, Monarch Watch and a Master Gardener, who will speak about “The World of Monarch Butterflies” and Heyward Douglas, an entomologist who has worked as a park naturalist and served on the Foothills Trail Conservancy’s board of directors since 1989, who will talk about visiting the wintering area for the Monarchs in Mexico.
A variety of activities and programs will be offered along with food trucks from Simpell Sammies, Grand Olde Station, and Sugar and Snow Gelato. Friends of Gorges State Park are the sponsors for the Mountain Monarch Festival in partnership with Gorges State Park, Transylvania Tourism Development Authority and Monarch Watch. Exhibitors at the event include: N.C. Cooperative Extension Service, N.C. Department of Commerce, N.C. State Parks, Conserving Carolina, The Land of the Sky Chapter and the Oconee Bell chapters of the Native Plant Society, Jocassee Wild, Transylvania County Bird Club and, Friends of Panthertown. Transylvania County Library will be onsite along with local art and native plants for sale. Exhibitors may change prior to and the day of the event.
The 4th Annual Mountain Monarch Festival activities and programs are free and open to the public. The event will be held rain or shine and is First Come First Served.