The 2nd annual Monarch Festival will be 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30 at Yukon’s Mollie Spencer Farm.
The event will celebrate the monarch butterfly’s incredible 3,000+ mile migration from their summer breeding grounds in northeastern U.S. and Canada, through Oklahoma, to their overwintering locations Mexico.
All ages are welcome to visit the farm for this free event to learn more about supporting monarch populations, which are decreasing because of habitat loss and other factors.
Attendees are encouraged to get their cameras ready for some great photography opportunities, and enjoy crafts, nature, presentations, and more at this special festival that raises awareness of the need to provide and protect monarch habitats.
Last summer, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature added the migrating monarch butterfly for the first time to its “red list” of threatened species and categorized it as “endangered” — two steps from extinct. According to the National Wildlife Federation, many factors are at play, such as intensive agriculture practices, urban development, pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides.
“Monarch butterflies are not only large, brilliantly colored, and one of the most recognizable of the butterfly species in North America, but like bees, they also help flowering plants through the pollination process, an essential ecological survival function,” said Emma Newberry-Davis, Mollie Spencer Farm’s program manager.
This year’s festival at the Mollie Spencer Farm will feature monarch-related crafts for kids, face painting, a seed ball-making station, story time with the Yukon Public Library, and so much more.
Canadian County Master Gardeners will be available to answer all questions about planting a garden that attracts and supports monarch butterflies.
The Sept. 30th festival also will feature presentations by local gardening experts.
Here is the event schedule:
- 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.: Craft making, Nature Walks, Information booths
- 9:30 a.m.: How Monarch Migration Works – John Leonard, Mollie Spencer Farm Manager
- 10 a.m.: Story Time with Yukon Public Library
- 10:30 a.m.: Planting Your Own Pollinator Garden – Patti Ingram, Canadian County Master Gardener
- 11 a.m.: Story Time with Yukon Public Library
- 11:30 a.m.: Tagging & Releasing Monarch Butterflies – Janet Horner, Canadian County Master Gardener
- Noon: Monarch Tagging and Release (limited quantities available on a first-come, first-served basis)
The crafts, seed-ball station and information booths will be available during the entirety of the event.
Tickets are free to the Sept. 30th Monarch Festival at Mollie Spencer Farm.
This event involves walking on potentially uneven terrain, so attendees should prepare accordingly.
Parking is available on the north side of the Mollie Spencer Farm at Yukon Middle School. Attendees should enter the farm through the Chisholm Trail entrance.
ABOUT THE FARM
The Mollie Spencer Farm is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization owned and operated by the Kirkpatrick Family Fund for the benefit of the city of Yukon and surrounding communities.
The Kirkpatrick Family Fund is an Oklahoma City philanthropy started in 1989 by John and Eleanor Kirkpatrick and is the largest affiliated fund in the Oklahoma City Community Foundation. The Mollie Spencer Farm’s mission is to provide educational opportunities that promote animal well-being, support regional history, and celebrate a sense of community pride in Yukon.
Public access is only allowed during public events and scheduled activities. For more information, call (405) 767-3702 or visit Mollie Spencer Farm on Facebook.
