Butterfly Festival

The Second Annual Mariposa Butterfly Festival
Takes Flight!

The 1st Mariposa Butterfly Festival was a great success last year, and we would like to thank all who attended for making it such a special event. Your support was greatly appreciated!

Kids for Turtles Environmental Education, in association with Mariposa Homes welcome everyone to the second annual Mariposa Butterfly Festival to be held on Saturday, June 27, 2009 from 10 am to 4pm at Mariposa Homes at 100 Hunter Valley Road.

This festival is a great family-oriented event and showcases the beautiful landscape of Orillia. It is an event that both young and old can take part in; especially those with young families.  The festival will include activities for the children, many local vendors, displays, nature walks, and guest speakers.

The Canadian Tiger Swallowtail butterfly will be our feature butterfly,  and any funds raised from this event will go towards Kids for Turtles Environmental Education projects.

Begin the summer with us! We hope to see you there!

Highlights of the 2008 Butterfly Festival!

Kids For Turtles Environmental Education (KFTEE) in partnership with our main sponsor Mariposa Homes held the first annual Mariposa Butterfly Festival on June 28th. Following a rainy start, it proved to be a big success with an estimated 1,000 people in attendance! 

  Photo Gallery of the Festival

Thank you to all of our hard working KFTEE, Mariposa Homes, Meridian Credit Union, Hospice Orillia and Six Mile Lake Conservation Club volunteers for your hard work on the day of and leading up to the event. Thanks to all the vendors who provided diverse butterfly-themed items for our guests.

The kid’s area was a tasty, bouncy hit thanks to the butterfly cookies provided by Kathy’s Kakes and the tumbling equipment from Mariposa Gymnastics. Duck Soup Productions entertained hourly and KFTEE volunteers led the kids in crafts. Orange Drink was donated by McDonald’s and the talented Selina Frederick of Joey’s Junction painted faces!  

Thank you to our guest speakers for their excellent presentations, and to Hallmark Cards & Gifts who donated a beautiful stained glass piece for the guest speakers. Thanks to the following prize sponsors; Hallmark Cards & Gifts, Sport Chek, Future Shop, Manticore Books, First Choice Haircutters, REP Consulting - Fine Home Design & Project Management and RPM Polybag and Packaging.  

The large banners displayed in front of Mariposa Homes were the result of the assistance from downtown community partner the Festival of Banners and the creative talent of many special people working long hours to create their masterpieces! These banners are now displayed at the KFTEE Office.  

To Meridian Credit Union  Good Neighbours Program who   provided five volunteers and major funding – thank you! Your ongoing support has been essential to our continued success.  

Thanks to all of our media sponsors; Orillia Packet & Times, KICX 106, CHAY, TradeWinds Marketing & Promotional Services, and ON Nature magazine. Thank you also to Kayla Secord (SCDSB) for promoting our school contest and Barb Rumsey for all of her ‘leg work’ in collecting the hundreds of entries received and for judging the costume contest. Great job to all the kids who participated—choosing only a few winners proved very difficult!  

Thank you to the City of Orillia Culture & Heritage Department for your valuable help and advice, and the Parks & Recreation Department for the loan of two tents. Thanks also to Mayor Ron Stevens, Bruce Stanton, MP, and Garfield Dunlop, MPP for speaking at the opening ceremonies.  

Thank you to TD Friends of the Environment for funding the printing of our two informational booklets- Create Your Own Butterfly Garden and Majesty of the Monarch and to UPS who did an excellent job printing them. There are still some booklets available for $2 each at the KFTEE office.