6th Florida Annual Bat Festival 2010

Bat Fest 2010 Date: Sat 13 Nov, 10 am - 4pm

Venue: Lubee Bat Conservancy, 1309 NW 192nd Ave, Gainesville Florida

Florida has something to offer for everyone interested in wildlife watching, but rarely do you get a chance to see our nocturnal wildlife. Both educational and entertaining, the Florida Annual Bat Festival offers an opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors, and to learn about how beneficial bats are to Florida’s environment. The festival emphasizes that people don’t have to be afraid of bats, and introduces the concept of how “green” bats are; from eating thousands of lbs of insect pests nightly, to pollinating and dispersing the seeds of plants that provide rainforests and tropical fruits that we eat. There are fun opportunities for the whole family. Whether you are sitting in on an education presentation, viewing live fruit bats, or visiting a vendor’s booth, the festival offers relaxation and recreation. Each year the festival features free activities, including bat-themed craft activities and games for kids, educational exhibits, presentations by bat experts, and the unique opportunity to see live fruit bats with 5 ft wingspans on exhibit in our Bat Zone. Vendors selling food and beverages, providing local environmental education information and selling batty goods are spread across the beautiful grounds of the conservancy. New to this year’s festival we will be offering an evening “Wild Night Out” event, with local bat experts netting and showing the public a selection of native Florida bats. The festival began in 2004 with 60 visitors. Each year the number of guest we have welcomed has doubled. In 2009 we welcomed close to 2,400 visitors and in 2010 we expect close to 4,000. All proceeds of the festival help support our conservation and education programs and promote our message to “Save Florida’s Night Life”.

In 2009 we had the pleasure of presenting the following exhibitors and vendors: Florida Bat Conservancy, Alachua Audubon Society, Florida Museum of Natural History, Friends of Payne’s Prairie, Watershed Action Volunteers, 4-H, FL Native Plant Society, FL Yards and Neighbors, FL Speleological Society, FL Trails Assoc., UF Bat House, Roots and Shoots, Alternatives Global Marketplace, Baha Beadz, Occasional Bat, and the University of Phoenix, LifeSouth Bloodmobile.

Entrance is free, but like the Florida Museum of Natural History, we hope you will be so impressed you might like to make a donation or Adopt-a-bat, as a way of Saving Florida’s Nightlife!

For more information, please email us at batfest@lubee.org

How to get to Lubee Bat Conservancy

Lubee is located approximately 9 miles north of Gainesville at 1309 NW 192nd Ave. Take NW 34th street over NW 13th st./HWY 441 past the highway patrol station until CR 231 forks off to the right. Follow CR231 for several miles, then turn right onto NW 192nd Ave. Lubee is ahead on your right. Please note that we are not open to the public all year round, only on the day of the festival. Visitors at other times are not permitted unless a tour has been arranged by appointment.

Disabled Access.

NO PETS ALLOWED

Children of all ages allowed.

Honor Roll

Previous Florida Annual Bat Festival Sponsors and Partners 2005,2006,2007,2008:

Special Sponsor: PPI Construction Management

Special Sponsor: Disney

Renaissance printing
Gainesville Health & Fitness
Earth Pets
Lowe’s
Hippodrome State Theater
O2B Kids
The Produce Distribution Center
The Garden Wholesale Produce
Grandiflora Nursery
Hatchett Creek Farms
Sweetwater Organic Coffee
Skate Station Funworks
Gator Mania
AMF Alley Katz Corner
Romano’s Macaroni Grill
Central Florida Office Plus
The Great Frame Up
Skate Station Funworks
Dampier’s Septic Tank
Sears Portrait Studio
Alternative’s Global Marketplace
Satchel’s
43^rd St. Breakfast and Deli
Wards

SEEKING CORPORATE SPONSORS and VENDORS 2010!

Satchel's Pizza granted us a community grant for $500 to help run Bat Fest'09.

Each year this event costs more to run than we are given in donations on the door or recive in sponsorship. It is a community education event we provide as a service to the general public - in particular local children. If you would like to help sponsor Bat Fest 2010, we would love local business sponsors and offer a range of sponsorship opportunities. Your name could appear in our program reaching an estimated 4,000 visitors! Please contact Allyson Walsh at awalsh@lubee.org or call 352-485-1250 to get involved!