Registration OPENS MAY 1!!!

Tonight, at midnight, registration opens at The Brown Paper Tickets for the 6th Annual PA Firefly Festival .  There are also 3 other weekend opportunities in Forest County and a mid-week campout experience to consider.  Search PA Firefly Festival on Brown Paper Tickets to see the full list. 

The new website will be opened any minute.  So,

stay tuned and get complete lists and information for the 2018 Firefly Season in NW Pennsylvania.  

PAFF Honored as a Champion of Conservation and Stewardship by PA Wilds

On April 26th, PAFF was honored by the PA Wilds at the 15th Annual Dinner & Awards.  The PA Wilds Center was formed 15 years ago by public and private partners in a cooperative effort to promote the outdoor recreation opportunities in 13 counties in North Central Pennsylvania.  The dinner's theme was "Celebrating 15 Years: The Wilds At Work".  PA Wilds recognized PAFF for the significant contributions we have made through our multi-faceted conservation work including innovative partnerships, training and education, youth involvement, usage of grant funding to support conservation initiatives, educational marketing and events, collaboration with conservationists and researchers, habitat preservation and more.  We are humbled and thank the PA Wilds Center Board of Directors and the Awards Committee for the honor and recognition. 

2018 Festival News... NO Joke!!

PA Firefly Festival has exciting additional opportunities for this year's Firefly Season in Western Pennsylvania... Firefly Expeditions!  More and more people are wanting to see fireflies, and the demand has resulted in PAFF looking for new and creative ways to respond to the demand without posing a threat to the fireflies or their habitats.  PAFF is planning on leading several weekend Firefly Expeditions starting June 8th through July 14th at various sites, not only in Forest County but throughout Western Pennsylvania.  Afterall, the Firefly is the official Pennsylvania State Insect!

There will be at least 4 different locations for as many as 11 nights of Expeditions and exploration, including the festival in Kellettville.  For a nominal registration fee, PA Firefly Festival staff and interpretive guides will provide short informative programs each night starting at 9 pm.  Then, when conditions are just right, survey the area with the participates and help them seek, find, and identify the fireflies at that location. The locations and links to registration will be announced April 15th and registration will open, May 1st.  Space is limited at each venue.  Be sure you have subscribed to the PAFF newsletter on the website to receive the newsletter and links to register.

From the casual and curious firefly watcher to the serious Citizen Scientists, you should be able to find a Firefly Expedition option that suits your level of curiosity, knowledge and ability.

Donate to PAFF during the Bridge Builders Week of Giving

During the week of March 19th-23rd, your tax-deductible donation to PA Firefly Festival helps support the Firefly Educational Programs, Summer Research Interns, and the future festivals. It's as easy as 1-2-3!

1. Go to the Bridge Builders Community Foundation Gives website 
2. Get out your favorite credit card and...
3. Make at least a $25 donation

Every donation counts towards helping us win even more cash prizes from Bridge Builders.  So, thanks for giving. 

We are now less than 4-months away from the 6th Annual PAFF.  We have been busy making plans and looking forward to another exciting season of firefly watching, discovery and fun.  Be sure you stay tuned for the updates by subscribing to our email newsletters on our website.

UN Arts Ambassador tells Forest County about His Fireflies.

Ibiyinka Alao, a United Nations Arts Ambassador from Nigeria came to Forest County on February 1 & 2. With the help of a J. Bowman Proper Trust grant, the Forest Area Arts Council, Tionesta and Marienville Lions clubs and West Forest Elementary Yearbook,  PAFF sponsored the 2-day resident artist in the Forest Area School District.  Ibi, as the kids call him, spoke to all the students K-12 about his experiences growing up in Nigeria and the lessons he learned from catching and releasing fireflies in the bush of Africa.  Using his charm and whit, Ibi connected the science, art, music and life lessons about fireflies to teach them how to paint a forest or village landscape and a Calabash (an African bowl).  He inspired them all to create and express themselves in art, music, writing and dance.

The students' artwork was on display for the community at 2 evening programs, one for West Forest and one for East Forest.  A number of the pieces have been chosen to be published in a Shutterfly book and will soon be available for purchase to benefit PAFF future programs at https://pafireflyfestivalphotogallery.shutterfly.com/.

Each night, Ibi spoke again to the audiences about his paintings and how fireflies have inspired his art and music.  The Scholastic book "Ibi's Fireflies" was a Kids are Authors Award winner and is being made into an animated film using Ibi's artwork and music with the help of producer/director Tim Burton and cinematographer Derek Frey.  We will be looking forward to the release of this film.

This was such a great way to spend the winter days while we are waiting for our next firefly season.  We are so grateful to Ibi and his assistant Shawn.  The PAFF board also thanks the volunteers from Forest Area Arts Council for their help setting up the "art galleries".