Oak Grove, KY – Traci Cunningham of Oak Grove Tourism enthusiastically welcomed attendees to the 2024 Oak Grove Butterfly Festival. She and Pearl the Squirrel even posed for pictures with many of them.
“This is our 16th year, and we’ve gone from releasing 300 Monarch butterflies in the first year to 2,200 this year,” Cunningham said. “Last year, we had about 22,000 people. We didn’t anticipate that many. It was our biggest year ever.
“There are a lot of great things going on today. We have a good crowd already, so we’ll see how it goes. We could not ask for better weather. The Monarchs are going to be really happy!
Over the years, this free event has become one of the most popular in the area. “Everyone loves it,” Cunningham said. “In this economy, people love having options that are free or affordable. Everything but the food is free. We have seven food vendors this year, and there are all kinds of great choices.
There is a butterfly house, and it’s very educational and actually fascinating. We have crafts tents where kids can make things and take them home. They love the bubble zone, the zip line, and the laser tag area. We also have a ventriloquist, a balloon artist, a petting zoo, and a photo backdrop. Fun things for everyone.”
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