Folks from the community and travelers from across the region were drawn to Oak Grove, for the 16th annual Butterfly Festival where thousands of butterflies were released into the wild on Saturday.
The festival is a staple event hosted by the Oak Grove Tourism Commission at the Oak Grove War Memorial Walking Trail. Along with the grand butterfly release, this year’s festival included a butterfly enclosure, vendors, a zipline, a petting zoo, arts and crafts and a ventriloquist show.
Commission Executive Director Traci Cunningham says the first festival included a release of around 300 butterflies. Each year since they have added a couple hundred more butterflies to their total release reaching 2,200 butterflies this year.
Over the years Cunningham says the crowd the festival draws has grown as well and she is happy to see so many people excited about it. Cunningham says there aren’t any other butterfly releases like it in the region.
Toward the end of the festival, attendees crowded the field near the Viceroy Amphitheater for the butterfly release. As a result of lower temperatures and wind, some of the butterflies were shy to leave the cage and needed a little push.
Looking toward next year, Cunningham says they plan to increase the number of butterflies being released and may split them into two separate cages to avoid overcrowding.
More information about events hosted by the Oak Grove Tourism Commission is available at visitoakgroveky.com.
