WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — River Bend Nature Center is having their Bug Fest on Friday, May 12, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

At this event, there will be many different activities, such as OSU’s Insect Adventure, a bug hunt contest, games, crafts, costumes and more.

Admission is $6 per adult and $5 per child. RBNC members will receive a dollar off per member.

Carney Porter: Well, Jennica Lambert is here to tell us all about River Bend Nature Center’s upcoming Bug Fest. Thank you so much for joining us today.

Jennica Lambert: Thank you so much for having me. It’s good to be here.

Carney Porter: Absolutely. Always great to have you. So tell us about the little creepy crawly fest that we’re going to be putting on soon.

Jennica Lambert: We haven’t had Bug Fest since 2019. So because COVID and all that happened, we just kind of like skipped our big event. So we’re bringing it back.

So what is Bug Fest, you might ask? We bring OSU’s Insect Adventure to River Bend Nature Center. They have a huge collection of preserved and live specimens from all over the world. So giant millipedes, walking bugs, leaf insects that are like this big, like millipedes that are gigantic.

Carney Porter: I went to school there, and I remember even like in some of my lecture halls, they would just have them out and showcasing them. So I do. Oh, yeah, I remember those days. Oh yeah, I’m sure they were some I walked the halls with back in the day.

Jennica Lambert: Like, check it out, that’s my Whip Scorpion, his name’s Charlie. Yeah. No, it’s, it’s really, it’s a really neat, a really neat event. So not only will they have that, we’ll have that going on.

We’re going to have buggy crafts, buggy games; you can race a cockroach. There’s going to be a costume contest that is bug related. There’s going to be a bug hunt collection where we offer prizes for the coolest bug, scariest bug.

You know, this whole- the whole point is to get people outside, appreciate insects and their day- their value in our daily lives. You know, maybe not smash that house spider next time you see them. That’s the goal.

Carney Porter: But just learning a little more about the thing that’s around you.

Jennica Lambert: Exactly. Why bugs are so cool and not to be- not to be scared of, but to be appreciated.

Carney Porter: And what- how much of an impact they make on the environment around us.

Jennica Lambert: They’re the reason we’re here, man, so it’s cool. But yeah, it’s the 12th of May. If you’re wondering what day it is. Yes, it’s coming up. So my God.

Carney Porter: It’s like a couple of weeks from now, just like two and a half weeks probably.

Jennica Lambert: From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., this is happening. It’s $6 for adults, $5 for children, and you get a dollar off commission if you’re a member of River Bend. So this is a fantastic time to come to River Bend if you’ve never been here before.

We are right across the street from Lucy Park, that big glass building on the hill. We are a nonprofit, so events like this help us keep our doors up and help us connect people to nature. That’s what we do, and this is part of it.

Carney Porter: Well, hey, if you need an intro into nature, you haven’t even been, or you just love nature too. This is a great way to do it. Anyone can learn, learn something and get a takeaway out of it. So make sure you head on out there. We’ll have that info on our website. Thanks so much for joining us today.

Jennica Lambert: Thank you so much for having me.

Carney Porter: Don’t go anywhere. We’ll be right back.