Gorges State Park to Host Third Annual Mountain Monarch Festival on Oct. 4

Back by popular demand, the third Annual Mountain Monarch Festival will be at Gorges State Park in Sapphire on Saturday, Oct. 4, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This free event, hosted by the park and sponsored by the Friends of Gorges State Park and other partners, will celebrate the monarch butterfly during its migration and raise awareness about the species' declining numbers. The park lies along the monarchs' migratory route. The butterflies can be seen in early October each year flying over the park, heading south to the high-elevation fir forests in central-southern Mexico's Volcanic Belt, where they overwinter until early spring.

The festival will offer educational programs and exhibits as well as children's crafts, face painting by Brevard College cheerleaders, a butterfly hike, and a Monarch Migration Passport to guide visitors through the activities. The featured speakers will be Heyward Douglas, an entomologist who is a former naturalist and has served on the Foothills Trail Conservancy's board of directors since 1989, who will talk about visiting the wintering area for the monarchs in Mexico, and Brian Bockhahn, interpretation and education specialist for North Carolina State Parks, who will discuss "Monarch Life Cycle and Tagging."

A variety of activities and programs will be offered, along with food trucks from local vendors. Friends of Gorges State Park are the sponsors for the Mountain Monarch Festival in partnership with the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, Monarch Watch, N.C. Cooperative Extension Service, the N.C. Department of Commerce, Conserving Carolina, the Land of the Sky and the Oconee Bell chapters of the Native Plant Society, Transylvania County Tourism Development Authority, Friends of Panthertown, Mud Dabbers of Brevard, and Killer Bees Honey. Transylvania County Library will be on-site along with local art and native plant vendors.

The event, activities and programs are free and open to the public. The event will be held rain or shine and is first-come, first-served. For event details, visit https://www.friendofgorges.org

About Friends of Gorges State Park
Friends of Gorges State Park (FOG) was formed in 2011 as a counterpart to the Park Advisory Committee, which was formed at the same time as Gorges State Park. In 2013, FOG was incorporated in North Carolina and was designated by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, tax-exempt, tax-deductible public charity.

About the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation
The Division of Parks and Recreation manages more than 264,000 acres of iconic landscape within North Carolina's state parks, state recreation areas and state natural areas. It administers the N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, including its local grants program, as well as a state trails program, North Carolina Natural and Scenic Rivers and more, all with a mission dedicated to conservation, education, and recreation. The state parks system welcomes more than 19 million visitors annually.

About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) manages, promotes, and enhances the things that people love about North Carolina - its diverse arts and culture, rich history, and spectacular natural areas. Through its programs, the department enhances education, stimulates economic development, improves public health, expands accessibility, and strengthens community resiliency.

The department manages over 100 locations across the state, including 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, five science museums, four aquariums, 35 state parks, four recreation areas, dozens of state trails and natural areas, the North Carolina Zoo, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, the American Indian Heritage Commission, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Office of State Archaeology, the Highway Historical Markers program, the N.C. Land and Water Fund, and the Natural Heritage Program. For more information, please visit https://www.dncr.nc.gov.

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