It’s hard to believe another year has passed, but that is the case and this weekend brings the annual Mariposa Butterfly Festival.
The festival is a long-standing tradition in the county and has steadily grown over the years.
It should also be noted the festival has expanded and for the past several years will be held at the Mariposa County Fairgrounds.
It is this Saturday and Sunday, May 1-2. Hours on Saturday are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday it is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Admission to the festival is $10 for adults and it is free for youth 12 and under. Parking is $5 with proceeds going to the Mariposa Yosemite Rotary Club, which handles that aspect of the festival.
Festivities kick off on Saturday morning when the annual parade takes place in downtown Mariposa. The action then shifts to the fairgrounds, where entertainment, food and drink, a car show and, obviously, butterflies take center stage.
Kimberly Vaughan is the president of the festival board and said she believes the festival is all about families and people “having smiles on their faces.”
Each year, the festival offers activities for people young and old and this year will be no different.
One of the annual highlights of the festival is Jurassic Mariposa, a creation by local resident Michael Hall. The animatronic creatures are in all shapes and sizes and this year, Hall has added even more to the collection. It will be open each day of the festival in Building B.
Also each year, there are butterfly releases, mainly by the younger people but not always. This year, the butterfly releases are on a timed schedule for the first time.
Habitat Row, too, is an annual feature of the festival, where education about butterflies and Nature in general are on display. Many local groups and individuals will be on hand to give people advice on everything from how to help sustain the butterfly population to general ideas on landscaping and much more.
“This festival is all about the community and seeing people have a great time,” said Vaughan. “Mariposa is at its best when it comes together to celebrate and the Butterfly Festival is a great way to kick off the spring and summer season.”
A schedule of events is on the front page of this week’s newspaper.
For more information, visit mariposabutterflyfestival.org
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