Wings & Wild Things Festival

Event Summary

Celebrate Iowa’s natural world during the second year of the Wings & Wild Things Festival. Wings & Wild things showcases the wild and wonderful flora and fauna of our region, as well as outdoor recreation activities in our area. Grab food from local food trucks and enjoy a day spent exploring Johnson County’s Kent Park.

The event will feature hands-on learning activities, guided exploration, and animal meet & greets. Meet a live owl, study Iowa’s threatened box turtles, get your hands dirty making milkweed seed balls, pick up native plants for your yard, practice fire-building techniques, learn about local wildlife, and more. Visitors can also enjoy guided bird walks, mushroom forays, and fishing activities.

Local food and drink vendors will be on site throughout the day! 

Activities will include:

• Live raptor meet & greets
• Plein air painting
• Guided bird walks
• Native Plant Sale
• Reptile meet & greets
• Fire building education
• Mushroom forays and specimen study
• Fishing
• Pollinator education
• Hands-on milkweed seed ball making
• Animal Biofacts education stations
• Bird nest education
• & more (more activities announced soon!)

Event Partners:

The Wings & Wild Things Festival is made possible through partnership with numerous local conservation-minded organizations. Partner groups include Arts Iowa City’s ArtiFactory; Iowa City Bird Club; Iowa Prairie Network; EarthMind; Iowa Master Naturalists; Johnson County Planning, Development, & Sustainability; Johnson County Master Gardeners of Iowa; Milkweed Matters;  Prairie States Mushroom Club;  Raptology; Troutleaf Native Plants; US Army Corps of Engineers; and others. 

Food:

Be sure to bring an appetite! Local vendors will be on site with delicious food and refreshments throughout this event.

Live Music:

10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.- Burlington Street Bluegrass Band 

The Burlington Street Bluegrass Band performs high energy, family-friendly acoustic bluegrass music, featuring exquisite instrumental solos and vocal harmonies.

Category

Special Events