Owl Fest to fly again
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Cynthia Haggitt
Carissa Sitki/Jersey County Journal
Pictured is one of the TreeHouse educational owls that you can learn about at Owl Fest.
Get ready to take flight as Owl Fest returns this year after a hiatus due to COVID. On Oct. 23 and Oct. 24, the TreeHouse Wildlife Center will be having their open house.
“Owl Fest is a free to attend, family friendly, two day event. It is a combination of a fall festival and it is our open house. This is the only event where our hospital, flight enclosure and rehab buildings are open to the public,” Kelly Vandersand, Fundraising Coordinator for the TreeHouse Wildlife Center, said. “Our Education Animal Ambassadors will be available to meet and greet the public and the public will have a behind the scenes look at our facilities all while enjoying educational speakers, local environmental organizations, crafts, food, raffle, vendors, kid friendly activities and our famous teddy bear clinic.”
She said that all vendor booth items are restricted to handmade arts, crafts and homemade canned goods. Space is limited to the first 35 approved vendors.
Vandersand said, “Saturday we will have discussions on owl talk starting at 1 p.m. Then on Sunday, at 1:00 p.m., Kayla Alexander with Illinois Depart of Natural Resources (IDNR) will have an educational discussion on barn owl recovery and at 2:00 p.m. Vulture Talk will be discussed by Ivan Vining.”
The TreeHouse will offer accessible parking and shuttle service and all ages are welcome.
Carissa Sitki/Jersey County Journal
Two barn owls who are residents at the TreeHouse. (Story continued below)
The activities will include a bounce house, kids’s games, a temporary tattoo booth, Hawthorne’s Teddy Bear Clinic and a stuffed animal adoption. Vandersand mentioned that they are holding a raffle, tickets can be purchased at TreeHouse. Food vendors will sell candy corn and other delicious foods. There will be an owl photo booth, educational booths and talks about various wildlife. The TreeHouse will have Batty Elkins Creations, Black Horse Photography, Claraine’s Creations, Clever Endeavors, Copes Country Soaps, Crochet from the Heart, Denarry Designs, Dow on the Farm Apiary, Mare’s Craft Basket, MK Design, Lewis & Clark Handweavers Guild, The Painting Bee, Sandra’s Wood Burning Creations, Tarot by Julia and Upon This Rock.
The educational booth of Better Building Institute, INC., McCully Heritage Project and US Corps of Engineers are all sponsors for the event.
