Flutterby Arts Festival has something for everyone

The Cultural Arts Association of Walton County, Inc. will partner with WaterColor Inn & Resorts, the WaterColor Homeowners Association and the St. Joe Company to bring the 2009 Flutterby Arts Festival and Fall & Winter Market to WaterColor's Marina Park.

The Festival will be held from  10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 14 and 15, which is a month later in the year than it has historically been held.  With the cooler weather and the closer proximity to gift-giving holidays, it will be the perfect chance for area residents and visiting families to enjoy a culturally-filled, fun weekend outdoors in the Beaches of South Walton.

The event is free and open to the public.

The 2009 Flutterby Festival, which was named to celebrate the migration of the Monarch butterfly through our area, will be a place for children of all ages to flitter, offering an exciting and diverse array of activities.

There will be a live puppet show by Picadilly Puppets out of Atlanta entitled Butterfly Ballad, which will be performed twice each day at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Actors from the Seaside Repertory Theatre will lead children and their parents on adventures through storytelling.

Kids can make their own butterfly puppets and other crafts, along with butterfly wings that can be worn for the butterfly costume parade that will take place each day at 3 p.m.

30A Radio will play great tunes throughout the weekend, and artwork by students of Constance and Steve Rogers from Butler Elementary School will be on display.

Guests can also enjoy butterfly garden tours and animal encounters with animals from Nonie's Ark. There will also be daily yoga classes for children at 10 a.m. for elementary students and 2 p.m. for middle and high school students.  

Fall & Winter Market

The Fall & Winter Market will also be held in conjunction with the Flutterby Festival. Guests can stroll through dozens of vendor tents that will offer arts, crafts, seasonal food, wine and other beverages. The concept of the Fall & Winter Market comes from the famous German Christmas Markets where a variety of vendors display their merchandise, or craft, in a street fair setting, making the sites, smells and sounds of the season come alive with holiday spirit. Highlights of the event will include an eclectic mix of gifts ideas, great food, drinks and more.  

Flutterby Student Art Contest

The CAA is also partnering with Wachovia, a Wells Fargo Company, to conduct the Flutterby Student Art Contest. Kindergarten through 5th grade students from Butler Elementary School created beautiful butterfly paintings that will be on display at Wachovia's Seaside and Redfish Village branches through Nov. 12. The public may view the artwork and vote for their favorite piece per grade.

Six “People's Choice” winners will be announced Saturday at the Flutterby Festival and will each receive a $50 savings bond from Wachovia. The Flutterby poster and T-shirt winner will also be chosen from among the submitted work, and the winner will receive a $100 savings bond. All artwork will also be exhibited at the Flutterby Festival.

For more information about the Flutterby Arts Festival and Fall & Winter Market, please visit CulturalArtsAssociation.com or call 850-622-5970.