Just beyond the roar of the midway at the Great Geauga County Fair was a welcome oasis where beautiful and delicate creatures fluttered around the Natural Resources Area.
Just beyond the roar of the midway at the Great Geauga County Fair was a welcome oasis where beautiful and delicate creatures fluttered around the Natural Resources Area.
Deborah and Jason Lurie from Spring Hill, Fla., travel throughout the United States with their butterfly exhibit to help educate and entertain.
The Great Geauga County Fair welcomed their Butterfly Encounter’s interactive exhibit where visitors got to experience butterflies close up within a netted area.
“Our exhibit allows fairgoers to get an up-close look at the butterflies,” Deborah said. “We have been traveling for 11 years all across the United States entertaining and educating fairgoers. This is our first time at your fair and we are very excited to be here and share the joy with everyone.”
According to Insect Lore, butterflies live all over the world, except Antarctica and “one of the most well-traveled types of insect on the planet, with many species migrating thousands of miles across the globe.”
Twelve-year-old Savannah Louden, a seventh-grader at West Geauga Middle School, took delight visiting them.
She held a small stick with an attached sponge to feed the gentle-winged creatures surrounded by bright colored flowers.
“I found it to be very calming and relaxing because the butterflies were calm and spread their calmness to others,” Louden said. “I have always liked butterflies and I love the fishing places (at the fair).”
Fair Entertainment Director Keith Chapman said the exhibit was a great fit and a dream of his for the Natural Resource Area, which features exhibits from the Geauga Park District and Geauga Soil and Water Conservation District.
“Holding the stick and having a butterfly land on your hand puts one up front and close,” Chapman said. “How fun is that? One group will educate one about the importance of making a butterfly garden and providing the plants which they eat. The other group will cover the stages from eggs to transforming into a butterfly. And now, with the addition of the Butterfly Encounter, it is just that, an encounter with the butterflies.”
There are normally about 100 butterflies released on opening day.
“Depending on what we’re allowed to bring in your state because we are governed by the (Ohio) Department of Agriculture,” Deborah said. “Normally, we have painted ladies, sometimes swallowtails, sometimes monarchs, maybe some Buckeyes or red admirals. We like to try and keep a variety for everyone to see.”
Learning about butterflies through their migration, their life cycle, watching them lay eggs and emerge from a chrysalis is amazing and everyone should experience it, she said.
“They bring a sense of calmness and serenity to everyone that gets a chance to feed a butterfly,” Deborah said, adding that’s why they keep traveling across the nation after 11 years to share their Butterfly Encounter with all ages.
“We would just like to thank the fair for bringing us here from Florida to entertain and educate your fairgoers about butterflies and how wonderful they really are,” Deborah said. “The joy on people’s faces and the fact that they’re so eager to learn makes it so rewarding.”
