![\"BugFest](\"http:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Bugfest_2015_flyer_640.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
RALEIGH \u2014\u00a0Did you know there are 20 different cicada species in North Carolina, each with their own call? And cicadas were actually around to annoy the dinosaurs, 100 million years ago? Discover all you ever wanted to know and more about cicadas and all the other little denizens of the insect world at BugFest 2015, held at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences on Saturday, September 19 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. BugFest is the Museum\u2019s biggest event of the year and the largest one-day event of its kind in the world.<\/p>\n
Cicadas are a large and audible element of summer, which makes them the perfect choice for this year\u2019s theme bug. \u201cSummer wouldn\u2019t be summer without cicadas,\u201d says Bill Reynolds, Head of the Arthropod Zoo. \u201cSome people also refer to them as \u201charvest flies\u201d because they are more abundant in late summer\/early fall and the males of each species have their own unique song to attract the females.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now in its 19th year, BugFest continues to be the keystone event at the Museum where visitors turn their fears into fascination, complete with a full day of educational fun for the entire family: science talks, face painting, bug-eating, live music and more! All four floors of the main Museum (NEC – Nature Exploration Center), its new wing (NRC – Nature Research Center), and the surrounding plaza and streets transform into \u201cBug Central Station\u201d with more than 100 educational stations, presentations and displays. Bee keepers will also be on site with local honey for sale.<\/p>\n
The day is packed with programs revealing amazing truths about bugs \u2013 such as the ones you didn\u2019t know are sharing your home \u2013 and culinary delights from the world-renowned Caf\u00e9 Insecta, operated by local chefs. Chefs this year come from Rocky Top Hospitality, Buku, Backyard Bistro, and The Audubon Insectarium in New Orleans. A host of bug-filled dishes containing everything from superworms to crickets will be available for everyone to enjoy. Get there early! When the food runs out, it runs out\u2026exterminated, you might say. Believe it or not, bug-filled food is in high demand! The event and Caf\u00e9 Insecta food are FREE. Traditional bug-free food and drink are also available for sale on the plaza and inside the Museum\u2019s Acro Caf\u00e9 (fourth floor, NEC) as well as the Daily Planet Caf\u00e9 (first floor, NRC).<\/p>\n
New this year is a contest to guess the number of cicada shells in a jar. The winner gets a cicada trophy. The winner will be announced at 7 p.m. at the conclusion of BugFest. (Participants do not have to be present to win.) New artisans, Zendustria Studios and Art by Cara Bevan join our list of vendors. The \u201cEvening Insectival\u201d portion of BugFest, from 5 to 7 p.m., with more adult-centered activities, also has a new feature. Museum Deputy Director and Chief of Research & Collections, Jason Cryan and Assistant Head of the Genomics & Microbiology Research Lab, Julie Urban will preside over the evening cooking demonstrations tent, \u201cBug Bites: Bite them Before they Bite You\u201d with a host of bug-tastic delicacies. The \u201cBug Love Station\u201d about pheromones and how bugs attract mates is a returning nighttime favorite.<\/p>\n
SECU Daily Planet Theater \u2013 NRC<\/strong> WRAL 3D Theater \u2013 NEC, first floor<\/strong> Windows on the World \u2013 NEC, third floor<\/strong> The Main Stage outside will feature several live bands including Papa Bear\u2019s Big Red Chair, Graffiti Monkeys and Mosquito Legs. In between sets, the crowd can get in touch with their creative and environmental sides at the Scrap Exchange table; bet on their favorite Madagascar hissing cockroach in the Roachingham 500; participate in \u201cCan You Cicada?\u201d (a series of adventures to see if you can survive as a cicada); or joust with a friend in the Stag Beetle Battles! The Jim Alberti Flea Circus returns with his amazing cast of delightful performers, including Paddy O\u2019Reilly Shaughnessy, who waves an Irish Flag, Captain Spaulding, who is shot from a cannon, and the daring, diving, bikini-clad Dardenell who does the traditional flea circus high dive. The KidZone will feature the Arthropod Olympics (Dung Beetle Races, Ant Races, Bee Races); Bug Bounce; and face painting (small fee).<\/p>\n Terminix Company of Eastern North Carolina is the Lead Sponsor of BugFest. Additional sponsors include Armstrong Cricket Farm and Pepsi Bottling Ventures. Leaf and Limb Tree Service is sponsoring the Daily Planet Theater. All BugFest activities are free unless otherwise noted on location. For more information about BugFest, visit www.bugfest.org<\/a>, or call Kari Wouk, kari.wouk@naturalsciences.org<\/a> or 919.707.9879.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2355,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/2383"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/2383\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2355"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2383"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n10:30 a.m. \u201cHidden Ultraviolet Colors in Butterflies \u2014 Dr. Eric Butler, Shaw University.
\n11:30 a.m. \u201cBad Boys\u201d \u2013 Bugs Who Won’t Behave \u2014 Heather L. Montgomery, Author, Children\u2019s Nonfiction. (Book signing follows presentation)
\n12:30 p.m. \u201cCicadas\u2019 Charismatic Cousins\u201d \u2014 Jason R. Cryan, PhD, Deputy Director and Chief, Research & Collections, NC Museum of Natural Sciences.
\n1:30 p.m. \u201cInsect Singers: Cicadas\u201d \u2014 Dr. John Cooley, The University of Connecticut.
\n2:30 p.m. \u201cCicadas: The Perfect Bug!\u201d\u2014 Bill Reynolds, NC Museum of Natural Sciences.
\n3:30 p.m. \u201cThe Most Interesting Critters You’ve Never Heard Of\u201d\u2014 Dr. Matt Bertone, NC State University Department of Entomology, Plant Disease and Insect Clinic.<\/p>\n
\n10 a.m. to 4 p.m. \u201cTiny Giants! 3D\u201d (ticketed showings on the hour, except 1 p.m.).
\n5 p.m. \u201cThe Ant Bully (2006) PG, 88 minutes (free, not in 3D).<\/p>\n
\n10 a.m. \u201cConfessions of a Bug Wrangler: Don’t Try This At Home!\u201d \u2014 Wade Harrell, Harrell House Bug Museum, Santa Fe, NM.
\n11 a.m. \u201cWhat’s on Your Crayfish? Hidden Diversity in Our Streams\u201d \u2014 Bronwyn W. Williams, Research Curator of Crustaceans, NC Museum of Natural Sciences.
\n1 p.m. \u201cLife of a Silk Moth\u201d \u2014 Madison T. Drouin, Author.
\n2 p.m. \u201cWhat’s All the Buzz about Pollinators?\u201d \u2014 Stacy Blomquist, U.S. Forest Service, Southern Research Station.
\n3 p.m. \u201cSnake Doctors, Mosquito Hawks, and Devil’s Darning Needles: The Amazing World of Dragonflies\u201d \u2014 Chris Goforth, Head, Citizen Science, NC Museum of Natural Sciences.
\n4 p.m. \u201cWhat Makes Bugs Tick?\u201d \u2014 Dr. Dan Johnson, Avian and Exotic Animal Care.<\/p>\n