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Hibiscus Park

This Dade City festival paid homage to Monarch butterflies

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Cindy Smith, a recently retired Pasco County Schools art teacher and Land O’ Lakes resident, displays her craft business, Be Dazzled, at the festival. She specializes in handcrafted beaded and clay jewelry, as well as other unique items. (Kelli Carmack)

The Dade City Monarch Butterfly Festival celebrated a winged creature that is perhaps North America’s best-known butterfly.

The Dade City Garden Club and Dade City Youth Council teamed up to present the festivities, which took place on Oct. 23, at Hibiscus Park in Dade City.

Those wishing to do a little shopping could choose from native plants, handcrafted jewelry, pottery and other items.

There were educational displays and presentations on monarch butterflies, raffles and plenty of hands-on activities for the kids.

Dade City was proclaimed a “Monarch City USA” back in 2019. The designation refers to the city’s efforts to maintain the survival of monarch butterflies.

For more information about the Dade City Garden club, visit DadeCityGardenClub.com.

Note: See a short video with scenes from the festival at https://business.facebook.com/LakerLutzNews/videos/923321675272194/.

Published November 03, 2021

Lanky Lassie’s Shortbread, a bakery in Dade City, was among many vendors at the festival. Owner Mary Katherine Mason offers free samples of some of her most popular flavors such as dark chocolate caramel pecan, chocolate chip and guava. Mason, a Dade City native, got into the spirit of the event by getting herself a butterfly face painting.
Betsy Krumsick is ecstatic getting her face painted by Gina Allison, owner of Gigi and Friends Entertainment, a party service that offered butterfly face paintings, complimentary of Lanky Lassie’s Shortbread, at the festival.
A little girl pretends she’s a butterfly at the Dade City Monarch Butterfly Festival. The event had lots of opportunities, for young and old alike, to have a good time and appreciate the beauty of monarch butterflies.
Rebecca Norris, a teacher at Rodney B. Cox Elementary School in Dade City, volunteers as a stilt walker at the butterfly festival. She’s been experimenting in circus art for the past six years.

Artists’ handiwork displayed on hay bales

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People who enjoy viewing public art might want to check out six hay bales — painted by artists of various ages — that have been stationed around locations in Dade City.

The display is the Dade City Center for the Arts’ kick-off project, since being revived in July 2020.

This painting of a scarecrow’s face was done by Morgan Turgeon and Ethan Wiley, students at Pasco High School. The painted hay bale is at Price Park. (Courtesy of Dade City Center for the Arts)

Hancock Farm & Feed Co., provided and delivered the hay bales.

Those wishing to view the works can visit these Dade City locations:

  • Hardy Trail at Church Avenue, 37856 Church Ave.
  • Hibiscus Park, Seventh Street and Bougainvillea Avenue
  • Price Park, 37415 Magnolia Ave.
  • Agnes Lamb Park, 14200 Ninth St.
  • Naomi Jones Park, 38122 Martin Luther King Blvd.
  • Watson Park, on Main Avenue, between 17th and 19th streets

The paintings have been well-received, said Lucy Avila, of Dade City Center for the Arts, in a news release.

To find out more about Dade City art, check the art center’s website at DadeCityArts.com.

The center also has other projects planned to enhance downtown Dade City.

The arts center is headquartered at Out of Our Hands Gallery, 14245 Seventh St., in Dade City.

Published October 21, 2020

Who knows? The owl knows. This painted bale, located at Agnes Lamb Park, was created by Patty Resse and daughters, Cassidy, Delaney and Alissa Ross.
This painted bale, near the Hardy Trail, was created by Kevin Taggerty, a retired master sergeant of the U.S. Air Force, and his daughter, Ryah, a first grade teacher at Lacoochee Elementary.
This symbol of Halloween and all things autumn is located at Naomi Jones Park, and was painted by Casandra Moua and Kevin Taggerty.
This painting of a butterfly was done by Russ Taylor and can be found at Watson Park.
This truck hauling pumpkins was painted by Diego Grant, a senior at Pasco High School. The artwork is located at Hibiscus Park.

Dade City to hold first monarch festival

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Dade City is getting ready for its first Monarch Butterfly Festival.

The Dade City Monarch Butterfly Festival will offer visitors insightful tips on caring for the monarch butterfly species. (Courtesy of Dade City Garden Club)

The Oct. 12 event, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., will celebrate Dade City’s induction as a  Monarch City USA. The designation refers to the city’s efforts in maintaining the survival of monarch butterflies.

Vendors will offer food and items for sale, including pottery, birdbaths, metal art and jewelry, to name just a few of the options.

The day also includes educational presentations on the monarch butterflies. There will be butterflies there, too, of course, as well as their eggs and caterpillars.

Plants will be on sale, too, including milkweed – a nutritional source for monarch butterflies.

There will be a kids’ area where butterfly-themed crafts can be designed and photos can be taken with an oversized butterfly.

Visitors will be able to take a stroll and view wildlife, and also can purchase tickets for a chance to win a hand-crafted potting bench. Tickets will sell for $2 each, or six for $10.

Admission and parking are free.

The function will be held at Hibiscus Park at Seventh Street and Bougainvillea Avenue in Dade City. It is being presented by the Dade City Garden Club and the Dade City Youth Council.

Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Out of Our Hands Gallery, 14245 Seventh St. in Dade City or on the day of the event.

For additional information, contact Joan Hepscher at (908) 890-4630 or at .

What: Dade City Monarch Butterfly Festival

Where: Hibiscus Park, Seventh Street and Bougainvillea Avenue in Dade City

When: Oct. 12 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Cost: Free

Details: Dade City will celebrate its induction as a Monarch City USA, which means it aims to help maintain the survival of monarch butterflies. Educational presentations and plant sales will be available, along with activities for kids.

Info: contact Joan Hepscher at (908) 890-4630 or at .

Published October 2, 2019