Saturday, October 18, 2025
4:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Yanney Park in Kearney, Nebraska
The Fall Nature Festival began as a creative solution to an unexpected challenge. For years, Rowe Sanctuary hosted Owl Prowl, a fall tradition where families learned about owls, wildlife, and seasonal changes. Close to 100 people would join us annually for this popular program along the center’s west trails. But when renovations closed both the trails and our visitor center, the question arose: how could we still engage families in meaningful, accessible, and safe ways?
During staff discussions, Senior Conservation Associate, Amanda Hegg, proposed a bold idea: instead of canceling, what if we expanded? She suggested collaborating with Kearney Parks and Recreation and moving the event to the Botanical Gardens in Kearney. The shift would not only solve the problem of space but also open new opportunities—adding a native plant workshop along with the hands-on activities at educational booths and other programming. Out of this conversation, the first Fall Nature Festival was born.
What happened next was remarkable. In two months and thanks to extensive collaboration and planning, the inaugural festival welcomed over 500 attendees, far surpassing previous fall events. Eight conservation partners offered activities that were interactive, educational, and fun, while more than 15 volunteers helped make the day a success. The festival highlighted the power of partnerships and the value of community involvement. It also underscored our goals: to help families build connections with nature, to introduce Rowe Sanctuary as a resource for deepening those connections, and to provide a platform for our conservation partners to share their work.
The success of the first year also reinforced something important: nature festivals create lasting impressions. For many families, they can spark the first step toward curiosity, care, and stewardship of the natural world. With lessons learned and momentum on our side, we are eager to see the festival grow.
On behalf of Rowe Sanctuary and Kearney Parks and Recreation, we are thrilled to invite you to the second annual Fall Nature Festival on Saturday, October 18, 2025, from 4–8 p.m. at Yanney Park in Kearney.
This year’s festival will include a wide range of family-friendly experiences: owl pellet dissections, tree ring explorations, native seed ball making, migration hopscotch, and crafts with dried native plants. Special programming will feature a bird banding demonstration and live animal ambassadors in the Gail and Michael Yanney Pavilion. As the sun sets, food trucks will provide dinner options before families embark on a glow-in-the-dark wildlife adventure through the botanical gardens, which will certainly be a magical close to the evening.
The Fall Nature Festival is more than a seasonal celebration. It’s a testament to creativity, resilience, and the power of community partnerships. We invite you to be part of it this October.
