Downtown Jackson will be the backdrop for hundreds of residents and visitors to get their hands on science next week.
With a forecast for sunny fall days and more than 30 local, regional and national science partners at the ready, Jackson Hole WILD is thrilled to present the 4th annual community WILD Fest. WILD Fest is a FREE weekend of family-friendly activities and films celebrating science, nature and media, all taking place at the Jackson Hole Center for the Arts.
From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 6, WILD Science Day will give attendees the opportunity to experience hands-on activities representing the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics fields (STEAM). Festival attendees will dig real fossils, interact with robots, demo cutting-edge prosthetic hand technology, gaze at stars in an inflatable planetarium, experience virtual reality, create 3-D doodle art, and learn about NASA exploration ground systems – to name just a fraction of the activities.
Hungry science fans will be able to taste samples of Entosense edible insects like black ants, crickets, silk worms, meal worms and crickets…. And then festival goers can fill up on more traditional fare from Little Red Cafe and Rosa’s Tamales, who will be selling tasty treats.
The day before the free Saturday event, approximately 1,300 elementary and middle school children from Teton and Fremont counties are treated to a sneak peek of the festival during organized school trips. With much to see and do – but only a limited amount of time on their field trips – students often come back on Saturday with their parents.
“WILD Fest aims to share the importance of science, conservation and culture with kids of all ages by showing them how it impacts their everyday lives,” said Carly McKay, science festival coordinator for Jackson Hole WILD. “We are lucky to have so many inspiring people and organizations who are willing to share their passions for science, nature and art with the community.”
Bookending the WILD Science Day are three special film presentations, with SPACE NIGHT capping off the weekend.
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“Native America,” the Wyoming premiere of an upcoming PBS series on Friday, Oct. 5, at 7 p.m. This special event is in conjunction with WyomingPBS and will include a live Native American drum and dance group performance by students from the Arapahoe schools on the Wind River Reservation.
“Backyard Wilderness,” on Saturday, Oct. 6, at 4 p.m. Proving that Wi-Fi isn’t the only connection that matters, the film surprises and entertains viewers with the unexpected wonders of nature that are right under our noses – in our own backyards.
“The Farthest: Voyager in Space” and the short “A New View of the Moon” will highlight WILD Fest Space Night on Saturday, Oct. 6, at 7 p.m. Following the film will be an opportunity to visit NASA’s ground exploration systems exhibit and to view the stars with Wyoming Stargazing.
“Backyard Wilderness,” on Saturday, Oct. 6, at 4 p.m. Proving that Wi-Fi isn’t the only connection that matters, the film surprises and entertains viewers with the unexpected wonders of nature that are right under our noses – in our own backyards.
“The Farthest: Voyager in Space” and the short “A New View of the Moon” will highlight WILD Fest Space Night on Saturday, Oct. 6, at 7 p.m. Following the film will be an opportunity to visit NASA’s ground exploration systems exhibit and to view the stars with Wyoming Stargazing.
All WILD Fest activities are free, family-friendly and take place at the Jackson Hole Center for the Arts at 265 S. Cache St. in downtown Jackson.
This year’s WILD Fest sponsors include:
This year’s WILD Fest sponsors include:
- ● Center of Wonder
- ● Wyoming PBS
- ● Town of Jackson
- ● Wyoming Arts Council
- ● Jackson Hole Airport
- ● Community Foundation of Jackson Hole
- ● 4JH
- ● SpringHill Suites by Marriott
- ● ThinkWY|Wyoming Humanities
- ● WESTAF and the National Endowment for the Arts
- ● pARTners
- ● Wyoming Stargazing
Science Partners include:
- ● Office of the Wyoming State Archaeologist
- ● Jackson Hole RoboBroncs
- ● Idaho National Laboratory
- ● Wyoming Untrapped
- ● Teton County Health Department
- ● Idaho Museum of Natural History
- ● Spring Creek Animal Hospital
- ● Idaho State University Physics
- ● Jackson Hole Children’s Museum
- ● Teton County Integrated Solid Waste & Recycling
- ● Wyoming Dinosaur Center
- ● Jackson Hole Center for the Arts
- ● National Bighorn Sheep Center
- ● Wyoming State Forestry Division
- ● Teton Conservation District
- ● National Museum of Wildlife Art
- ● The Science Zone
- ● Rendezvous ‘R’ Park
- ● Teton Science Schools
- ● Teton County Library
- ● Bridger-Teton National Forest
- ● Interagency Firefighters
- ● U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Region 8
- ● University of Utah Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
- ● The Cougar Fund
- ● Teton County Weed & Pest
- ● Wyoming Department of Transportation
- ● University of Wyoming Department of Geology & Geophysics
- ● Teton Raptor Center
- ● NASA/Exploration Ground Systems
- ● Museum of Idaho
- ● Wyoming EPSCoR at Wind River
- ● Fremont County School District #38
- ● Teton County School District #1
- ● Ulrich Fossil
- ● Grand Teton National Park
- ● Yellowstone National Park
- ● Vertical Harvest
- ● Mountain Modern Motel
Film screenings are made possible by:
- ● Crossing the Line Productions
- ● HHMI Tangled Bank Studios
- ● Irish Film Board for PBS
- ● Wylie Overstreet and Alex Gorosh
- ● Providence Pictures
Visit JHWILD.org for more details.
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