Ijams Nature Center’s 14th annual Hummingbird Festival, titled “A Celebration of Wings,” will be held on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. The festival will feature a popular marketplace and introduce new activities.
General admission tickets grant access to educational booths and activities, including dipnetting, live animal encounters, and a kids’ nature zone where children and families can engage in arts and crafts, experiments, and more. Additional offerings include community science opportunities, guided nature walks, and hands-on workshops.
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The festival will also reintroduce the marketplace, showcasing handcrafted art, nature-themed items, local plants, and garden décor, along with speaker sessions.
“This year’s festival will be bigger and better than ever,” said Ijams Education Director Jennie McGuigan. “We’re excited to offer the marketplace and speaker sessions again. They were a big draw before the pandemic, and I think everyone will enjoy the new hands-on educational workshops.”
For an additional charge, attendees can schedule a bird banding demonstration. Master bander Mark Armstrong will conduct these sessions, providing small groups with an up-close look at hummingbirds and other birds. Armstrong will weigh, measure, band, and discuss the birds, and one person per group will get to release the bird.
Bird banding demonstrations are available in 30-minute sessions starting at 7 a.m., with the last appointment at 12 p.m. Early appointments offer the best chance to see a ruby-throated hummingbird being banded.
General admission tickets are priced at $12 for adults (ages 13+) and $9 for children ages 3-12. Children under 3 attend for free. Ijams Nature Center members receive a 10% discount on festival tickets. Bird banding sessions can be reserved for $5 per person, with any remaining tickets sold at the event entrance at the Ijams Homesite.
For more information or to purchase tickets for the festival, visit Ijams.org.
Sponsors for the 14th annual Ijams Hummingbird Festival include Accenture, HomeTrust Bank, Stanley’s Greenhouse, Tennessee Wildlife Federation, and Wild Birds Unlimited Maryville.
Ijams Nature Center is a nonprofit, 318-acre educational nature center located three miles from downtown Knoxville. The center offers 14 miles of hiking and mixed-use trails, a public access river dock, swimming, boating, biking, and numerous educational programs annually. The Ijams grounds and trails are open daily from 8 a.m. until dusk, and the Visitor Center is open Monday through Friday and Sunday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. For more information, visit Ijams.org.
Source: Read Original Release
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