Hawk Creek festival marks 20 years
by ELIZABETH TAUFA Reporter

The Hawk Creek Wildlife Center will present its 20th annual Wildlife and Renaissance Festival from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, July 21-22 and 28- 29 at the center, Grover Road, East Aurora.

The event was previously held during only one weekend in July, but because this year marks the 20th anniversary, the center decided on two consecutive weekends to raise more funds than in previous years.

The festival will feature flying bird shows, barn owl releases and a chance to meet more than 90 of Hawk Creek's animals, including the endangered ocelot and Andean condor.

Other events will include live music, medieval re-enactments, children's games, original artwork and an art auction. A Chinese auction will also be held, with one of the prizes being a donated cruise.

The barn owl release has proven to be one of the biggest draws for the festival, according to Hawk Creek operations manager Matt Zymanek.

"It's really an emotional hook," he said. "After the birds are released you can see the tears well up in some people's eyes."

For the release, visitors can bid on releasing the owls. Hawk Creek has released more than 180 barn owls into the wild and has won an international conservation award for its efforts.

For its 20th anniversary, the festival will feature two new exhibits - "Walk with the Eagles" and "Dragons."

"Walk with the Eagles" allows visitors to walk through actual eagle cages, according to Hawk Creek operations manager Matt Zymanek.

"It's really a unique exhibit. I don't know of anyone else who does this," he said. "Bald eagles have really been in the news lately because of being taken off the endangered species list. So hopefully that will be a huge draw."

The other new exhibit, "Dragons," which Hawk Creek obtained from the Toledo Zoo, is intended to explore the medieval myths about dragons as well as to educate audiences about the world's real dragons.

Tickets are $12 for adults, $6 for children younger than 12, $10 for seniors and $30 for families (two adults, three children). A 10 percent discount will be given for tickets ordered online at Hawk Creek's Web site, www. hawkcreek. org.

e-mail: etaufa@beenews.com