Annual Mountain Monarch Festival at Gorges State Park
Saturday, September 23 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Sapphire, NC.
Hosted by the park and sponsored by Friends of Gorges State Park and other partners, the festival will celebrate the monarch butterfly during its migration and bring attention to the species’ declining numbers.
The park lies along the monarchs’ migratory route, and butterflies can be seen in late September annually flying over the park visitor center on their way south to the high-elevation fir forests of Mexico’s Neovolcanic Mountains, where they overwinter until early spring.
The festival offers educational programs and exhibits as well as fun for the whole family, including children’s crafts, face painting by Color Me Happy, a butterfly hike, and a Monarch Migration Passport. Entomologist Heyward Douglas, who has worked as a park naturalist and served on the Foothills Trail Conservancy’s board of directors since 1989 will present a keynote address.
Additional presentations include Monarch Life-Cycle and Tagging and Release. Live music will be provided by Hawk Mountain; food will be provided by food trucks from Smash NC, Sugar and Snow Gelato, and Grand Olde Station at Lake Toxaway. The Transylvania County Library will feature a display, and local art and native plants will be available for sale. The festival’s music and programs are free and open to the public.
The park requests that those who plan to attend register at www.ncparks.gov/state-parks/gorges-state-park/events/monarch-92323/registration.
The event will be held rain or shine. For event details, visit www.friendofgorges.org.
