Nutty for Nature — Squirrel Fest at Pease Park

By Sofia Treviño

Pease Park transformed into a furry frenzy on Saturday, April 15 as the annual Squirrel Fest took place to celebrate the spring season. Though no actual squirrels were a part of the festival, the afternoon was full of family-friendly activities such as live music, arts and crafts, and face painting.

Organized by Pease Park Conservancy, the event drew in crowds of families and children who enjoyed a range of activities including yoga, games and a treasure hunt to get kids to explore the park. Kids ran around the lawn and got to enjoy the sunny day out.

The festival was free and open to the public, with dozens of sponsors from the likes of H-E-B to Clean Scapes Landscaping making the event possible. Future Front Market vendors were also set up for the day. This market specializes in featuring women and LGBTQ+ small business owners so the festival helped highlight their work.

“We had a lot of great partners show up and the community has been really great and really interested in learning about what we do here and getting involved and just enjoying the great outdoors in the park,” said Luis Ortiz-Colón, the park’s programming coordinator.

The night ended with a screening of “WALL-E.” Families laid out blankets and sprawled on the Great Lawn to overlook the projector, and popcorn was passed out for a full movie experience.

The festival left kids nuts about nature and the outdoors, making sure they’ll come back for years to come.