Perfect Spring weather ushered in the 25th Annual Butterfly Festival at the EmilyAnn Gardens last Saturday. By midday, more than 6,000 people had entered the gardens for the 9 a.m. opening ceremony, and the release, each half hour of Painted Lady butterflies throughout the day.
Launched ahead of time this year because of Easter’s early arrival, the festival will return in 2026 to its usual slot, the third week in April.
“We didn’t want the community to have to choose between the Butterfly Festival, the Pie Social and Arts Fest the Sunday after Easter, so we scheduled early this year,” said Director of Development, Rebecca Stoian at The EmilyAnn.
Visitors to the festival could tour the butterfly flight house, engage in crafts, get their faces painted, pet mini donkeys and horses, shop at a butterfly store and enjoy concessions. This year, the Schoolyard Dogs staffed the concession area.
BUCKY BUTLER, THE BUTTERFLY TRAIN OPERATOR, KEPT BUSY PROVIDING NON-STOP RIDES FOR DELIGHTED CHILDREN.
EVERY 30 MINUTES, HAND-REARED PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLIES WERE ENTICED FROM THEIR CAGES BY HANDLERS OFFERING WEDGES OF WATERMELON.
Much more than butterflies, the festival also offers visitors the EmilyAnn Gardens, eight acres of walking paths, outdoor games and sculpture. The gardens are also home to a theatre and the Trail of Lights, an annual Christmas-time event, as well as theatrical summer camps, fun runs, and on July 12, a garage sale.
“Instead of building more storage, we decided to open up storage space by selling off a lot of our accumulated gardening equipment, tools and supplies,” said Stoian.
Founded by the Rolling family, the garden was created in 1998 to celebrate the life of Emily Ann Rolling by providing a permanent home for Shakespeare Under the Stars, a program in which Emily, who died in 1996, excelled as an actress and costume designer.
THE CREW OF SCHOOLYARD DOGS PROVIDED HOT DOGS AND FRITO PIES FOR THE FESTIVAL. PHOTOS BY TERESA KENDRICK
CAMERON BELL OF WIMBERLEY, ALONG WITH SONS JACK, LEFT, AND SAM SLAKED THEIR THIRST WITH ICY SLUSHIES.
