What is the Festival of the Cranes?
According to our friends at the Refuge, the Festival of the Cranes is “a festival celebrating the annual migration of sandhill and whooping cranes to Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge, events take place at a variety of locations including the refuge’s Visitor Center and various partner venues in downtown Decatur, Alabama including: The Decatur Public Library, The Princess Theatre, The Alabama Center for the Arts, The Carnegie Visual Arts Center, The Cook Museum of Natural Science, and the Historic Depot and Railroad Museum.”
See below for the events scheduled at DPL, and scroll to the bottom for links to the other venues. We hope you’ll celebrate with us in Janaury!
Festival of the Cranes at DPL
SCHEDULE
FRIDAY, DEC. 20th – SATURDAY, FEB. 1st
StoryWalk® at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge
Take a walk on the Atkeson Cypress Trail and read the story Hello, I’m Here! by Helen Frost & Rick Lieder.
Available during Refuge open hours: Seven days a week, 9:00am – 5:00pm
CLOSED: Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day
Scroll down for details.
THURSDAY, JAN. 2nd – FRIDAY, JAN. 31st
Nature Photos by Donald Hood of Status Image
in the DPL display cases (located at each entrance to the library)
FRIDAY, JAN. 10th
4:00pm:
Story Time with Hope
Hope, the mascot for the International Crane Foundation, and her friend Olivia, will present this free story time for all ages.
Youth Services Room
SATURDAY, JAN. 11th
9:00am – 10:00am:
Bird Walk for Kids *at Delano Park*
Ava Lyerly will lead children ages 5-18 on a bird walk at Delano Park. This free program is for those young people interested in learning about bird watching and identification.
RSVP by emailing naybc2023@gmail.com with the number of people attending and their ages.
(Moms of families are welcome to bring their younger children and stay behind the group with “littles”, so there is minimal noise and bird viewing is better.)
Ava is the President of the North Alabama Young Birders Club in Decatur, Alabama.
10:00am – 4:00pm:
Kids Activities in the Library
- assorted crafts/activities
- photo opportunity
- scavenger hunt
- goodie bags for kids 12 & under (while supplies last!)
Informational Tables
- Quail Forever & Pheasants Forever, Inc.
- North Alabama Young Birder’s Club
11:00am:
Similarities in Habitat for Cranes and Quail
This free program will be presented by Jessie Douglas Taylor, Farm Bill Biologist II with Pheasants Forever, Inc. and Quail Forever. She will discuss the habitats of quail and cranes, their similarities, and the importance of conserving both.
Training Center
1:30pm:
Adventures with John James Audubon
Storyteller and author Brian “Fox” Ellis, in the persona of Audubon, brings history, ecology, art and literature to life in this meticulously researched program that celebrates the life work of one of America’s greatest artists and naturalists.
Community Room
2:00 – 2:45pm:
Free Meet & Greet with Hope
Come and meet Hope, the mascot for the International Crane Foundation, and get your picture made with her!
Main Area
3:00pm:
Quail Story Time
Jessie Douglas Taylor, Farm Bill Bioligist II with Pheasants Forever, Inc. and Quail Forever, will read Dale the Quail and the Rainbow Serenade.
Youth Services Room
SUNDAY, JAN. 12th
12:00pm – 4:00pm:
Kids Activities in the Library
- assorted crafts/activities
- photo opportunity
- scavenger hunt
- goodie bags for kids 12 & under (while supplies last!)
Informational Table:
North Alabama Young Birders Club
2:00 – 2:45pm:
Free Meet & Greet with Hope
Come and meet Hope, the mascot for the International Crane Foundation, and get your picture made with her!
Main Area
3:00pm:
Meriwether Lewis’ Scientific Discoveries
Imagine an evening in Philadelphia with some of the greatest scientific minds in Early American history where Merewether Lewis reveals for the first time many of the scientific discoveries of the Corps of Discovery. Encountering grizzly bears and collecting soil samples, capturing prairie dogs and hunting for antelope, Lewis catalogued 122 new animal species and 178 new plants. In this original performance Lewis sings the praises of the geology, diverse flora and fauna, and the web of life that binds us to the land. The expedition was first and foremost a scientific expedition and this program brings the scientific process to life.
Presented by storyteller and author Brian “Fox” Ellis
Community Room
MONDAY, JAN. 13th
6pm:
Walt Whitman: A Song of Myself
Brian “Fox” Ellis presets the story of Walt Whitman’s life intermingled with the poems we’ve all grown to love.
Main area at Decatur Public Library
StoryWalk® at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge
Walk the Atkeson Cypress Trail (located behind the Visitor Center at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge)
and read Hello, I’m Here! by Helen Frost & Rick Lieder.
The StoryWalk® will be available during Refuge open hours: Seven days a week, 9:00am – 5:00pm.
CLOSED: Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day.
Hello, I’m Here!
by Helen Frost & Rick Lieder
A poetic text and wonderfully intimate photographs follow a newborn sandhill crane as it takes its first steps into the world.
Will my legs hold me?
What if I fall?
Peek in as a sandhill crane hatchling makes its first wobbly stand and takes its first steps alongside its brother. With their parents close by, they flap their wings and dance before enjoying a buggy treat. Someday they will fly with the majestic cranes overhead, but for now, Mama’s soft feathers beckon. With a lyrical narrative and lovely photo illustrations, this latest venture from an acclaimed creative team makes a perfect new baby gift — and will appeal to bird lovers, too. (from the publisher)
The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. StoryWalk® is a registered service mark owned by Ms. Ferguson.
About the Festival of the Cranes
The Wheeler Wildlife Refuge Association presents the Festival of the Cranes each year to celebrate the sandhill and whooping cranes who visit our area in the winter. Click on their logo above for a complete event schedule.
Located in Decatur, AL, the refuge attracts thousands of wintering waterfowl each year as well as manages and protects habitat for 12 federally endangered or threatened species. Click the logo above for details about the Refuge and to plan your visit.
Headquartered in Baraboo, Wisconsin, the International Crane Foundation works worldwide to conserve cranes and the ecosystems, watersheds, and flyways on which they depend. They participate in the Festival each year to offer educational programming. Their mascot, Hope, is a frequent visitor as well! Click their logo above to learn more about their vital work.
Partner Organizations:
