The Forest Fairies at ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ are inviting the community into the woods this August for a season of whimsy, culminating in the Fairy Festival on Saturday, August 22, from 10 AM to 5 PM. Included with general admission, the festival is the centerpiece of a series of fairy-themed programs at ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Nature Center running from August 15 through August 22.
Fairy Door Workshop — Saturday, August 15, 1–4 PM
The celebration begins with the Fairy Door Workshop, where Mike Bald, founder of Got Weeds?, will guide participants in crafting whimsical Fairy Doors and Elf Houses from natural materials. Open to children ages 4 and up, this workshop is a hands-on family activity that blends tinkering, creativity, and storytelling. Finished creations can be placed around the Nature Center or taken home. Registration is available here: vinsweb.org/event/fairy-door-workshop
Fairy House Building Contest — Monday, August 17 – Friday, August 21, 10 AM – 5 PM
Next, aspiring builders can enter the Fairy House Building Contest, open to all ages for a $10 entry fee in addition to general admission. Entrants may build their fairy house on- or off-site and bring it in for placement, provided it fits within a 2-foot-by-2-foot footprint (no height or weight restrictions apply). All materials, aside from adhesives, must be non-living and sourced from nature — and may not be gathered from an existing fairy house.
A panel of judges will select winners in each age category, who will receive a gift bag from the Nature Store, and a crowd favorite from each category will win a grand prize: a Private Experience Animal Encounter. Winners will be announced at 3:30 PM on August 22nd during the Fairy Festival. Details and registration here: vinsweb.org/event/fairy-house-building-contest
Fairy Festival — Saturday, August 22, 10 AM – 5 PM
The celebration reaches its peak with the Fairy Festival, a full day of hands-on play, forest exploration, and creativity included with general admission. Costumes are highly encouraged. Highlights include fairy house building, a scavenger-style fairy hunt along the trails, crafts, face painting, a bubble lab, and themed live animal programs.
Full festival schedule:
All day (10:00 AM – 5:00 PM):Â
- Wand Making (August Pavilion)
- Bubble Lab (Hawkfly)
- Meet the Mycologist, tabling and art by Meg Madden (Neale Pavilion overhang)
- Fairy Marketplace featuring trinkets from Feralbynature (Hawkfly)
10:00 AM – 2:00 PM: Fairy Face Painting (August Pavilion)
10:00 AM – 3:00 PM: Fairy Hunts, a scavenger hunt with the Fairy Court (Hawkfly)
10:30 – 11:00 AM: Turtle Tea Time with Jersey the box turtle and Turt the wood turtle
11:00 – 11:30 AM & 3:00 – 3:30 PM: Shapeshifting Sprites, a look at avian transformation (Hawkfly)
1:00 – 1:30 PM: Tales of the Fae with the Longshanks — stilt walking, storytelling, skits, and songs (Hawkfly)
2:00 – 3:00 PM: Mushroom Walk with naturalist and mycologist Meg Madden (Hawkfly); sign-up required at the Neale Pavilion table, limited spots available
3:30 PM: Fairy House Building Contest winners announced (Hawkfly)
4:00 – 4:15 PM: Flights of Fantasy with Chesterland the Harris’s Hawk (Forest Canopy Walk, weather permitting)
Registration and details for the Fairy Festival can be found here: vinsweb.org/event/fairy-festival
More information and registration for the Fairy Door Workshop, Fairy House Building Contest and Fairy Festival are available at vinsweb.org/special-events.