Spring Creek Prairie 2011

This Sunday afternoon, I traveled to Spring Creek Prairie for Audubon's annual Prairie Festival, in which I took part last year and a number of previous years.

This year, the folks at the center decided to change the venue from the past celebrations of Twilight on the Prairie. Instead of an evening show with as many as ten stations, this celebration featured four, including my "Birds and Petals on the Prairie."

While the schedule changed, one important aspect remained the same, the beauty of the Tall Grass Prairie and the smiles on the faces of visitors of all ages.

The collected photographs feature the beauty of this area and the folks who stopped by my station to talk about birds and flowers.

I was pleased to chat with old friend Paul Johnsgard and colleagues John Hnida and Mara Giles, who helped with the presentations organized by the Nebraska Folklife Network as part of that organization's 5th annual Harvest of Tradition, "Shamrocks on the Prairie."

Visitors to my station kept me plenty busy, which kept me from enjoying all the presenters at and around Spring Creek Prairie's beautiful center.

I spoke with Gwen Meister , the Nebraska Folklife Network's Executive Director, however, and she will visit Peru State College this spring as part of the Creative Writers Series.