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The
photos were taken during stops at the vendor/visitor booths, as well as the
live owl show.
My, what big eyes they have!
Seeing an owl up close is a must.
1st
Stop - CHASE STREET.
Even though my young son, Chais, noted the difference in spelling, we thought
it was more than fitting that we have breakfast on Chase Street! The local Lutheran church
was holding a pancake breakfast for the festival goers. The presentation of
the food was truly creative, and I kick myself now for not having snapped a
photo of our plates. We were ravenously hungry and the owls were waiting for
us, after all! The meal consisted of 2 pie-plate-sized pancakes, merged
together on the griddle. Next, 2 boiled egg slices aligned in the center
representing the owl eyes. One sausage link was placed vertically under the
egg slices to form the owl beak. Finally, a single sausage link was divided
into 2 eyebrow feather tufts above the egg slices. The perfect look for a
plate-sized owl Very cool! Not being a meat-eater, I quietly request a plate
with pancakes only. The energetic teenagers were kind and filled my order
immediately, and I thanked them generously for their efforts. Besides- my
little son was in his glory with his
owl plate. I got the impression that there were not a lot of vegetarians in
this town!
Houston High School. This was the location of the
children’s activities, live-owl program and various booths at the festival.
Upon entry, I was greeted by the ticket-takers and button distributors. I
reintroduced myself to two of the organizers. It was their presence at the
Frozen River Film Festival in January that spawned this particular day out
with my son. I thanked them for spreading the word. We entered the gym. It’s
funny how all old gymnasiums in SE
MN look alike. It reminded me
of my childhood school in the Mabel-Canton school district. Suddenly a storm
of chatter and activity brought me right back to the late-80’s; back to crowded
bleachers, the squeak of basketballs and sneakers on the waxed floor and
referee’s whistles echoing in my ears. I had not expected an owl festival to
that. Nice.
My
son's first stop was at the apparel and collectible stand for a t-shirt and
pencil sharpener. He wore the shirt all day, along with a huge smile. Later,
that smile was adorned with big red eyes that were very sleepy. To date, he
wears the shirt at least once a week. We are on the look out for owls more
often now.
Chais
was banded, measured, weighed and recorded at the BANDING STATION. The
naturalist explained how real owls are banded and why this procedure is so important
for data collection. It was fun to watch. He even had his shoe size recorded,
as well as his wing span. And what a wing span it was - it was determined
that he would be a Great Gray Owl with a 48" reach! I have to say that
the woman who banded him was a delight – even with the echoing from the owl
house-construction in the booth immediately to her right. My son decided that
he would like to build an owl house next year. And so we shall.
Fishing
for owls. The object of the game was to net a stuffed owl before your
opponent pulls it away. Of course, the real goal was getting the mystery prize
out of the brown paper bag in that big basket on the table! Mission accomplished.
The
Owl Fest Mascot played “Peek” with Chais and I. The inclusion of a big fluffy
mascot was a stroke genius. Plus, it felt right at home for me, having been a
Cougar mascot in a gym just like this on countless occasions during my own
high school days. As we walk I can almost hear the crowd burst open with
victorious cheers.
Snowy
Owl face-painting. Chais sat perfectly still while an artist converted a six
year old boy into an owl. It wasn’t clear if he would ever wash it off! It
took 2 days and 1 bath to do the trick.
Houston Nature
Center adventures were also integrated into
the event. We discovered wolves, coyotes, turtles, snakes, owls, feathers and
various old bike sculptures half-buried in the snow. We have decided to come
back as soon as we can, in the spring, to walk the trails and paths. It was
our first time there, but it will not be the last.
The
Live Owl program offered 2 presenters and beautiful owls. They came here from
St. Louis, Missouri. This program rocked! Although, I
cannot remember what each owl was precisely, they were stunning all the same.
And such big eyes they have! Big amber buttons- wide and alert. Of the owls
presented, the Barn Owl was the last. It flew all over the place from trainer
to trainer – right above our heads. You could see them, but hardly a sound.
That was incredible -I wanted to see more!
And
that is what I intend to do. We’ll be back next year.
Culturally-aware.
Buy-local evident. Activism avenues. Educationally extraordinary! A+.
Submitted by Staff Writer
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