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20th Annual Coarsegold Tarantula Festival

COARSEGOLD – Hairy legs? Perfect! You’re ready for arachnid races races, costume parades, hairy legs contest, pizza eating, pumpkin cake, poetry, and crafts, as the Tarantula Festival creeps back into Coarsegold Historic Village this month for its 20th incarnation.

Also known as the Tarantula Awareness Festival, it’s a very special day with family fun for all ages in a great community setting.

Webs are being woven now for the event, which takes place on Saturday, Oct. 28, from 10:30 a.m. til 5 p.m. in the Coarsegold Historical Village along Highway 41. Best of all? Activities are free.

The annual festival celebrates neighborhood tarantulas who emerge from their burrows each fall to find a mate, then hunker back down for the winter. The spiders’ emergence serves as a forecast for cooler temperatures and rain in the coming weeks, and is a reason to celebrate for local townsfolk. Tarantulas began appearing, and starring in locals’ social media feeds, last week.

While some people may shy away from them, the tarantulas are considered to be fairly harmless, and are definitely an essential part of the local ecosystem. One purpose of the event is to educate people on the importance of the tarantulas. Thus, there are plenty of vendors and the chance for kids to learn about tarantulas from experts, and even hold one.

One of the day’s highlights is the pumpkin dessert contest — the winner receives an overnight stay at a local resort.

Here’s a sampling of what you can expect.

Pumpkin Pie Contest
Decorate Pumpkins
Tarantula Poem Contest & Reading
Scream Off Contest
Community Dance & Theatre Performance
Hairy Leg Contest – Men & Women (ages 16-99)
Children’s Tarantula Race (ages 3-8)
Bubble Gum Blowing Contest
Pie Eating Contest
Children’s Costume Contest – Trick or Treat Parade with parents
Pumpkin Decorating Awards
Dance Demo
Pet Costume Contest and Parade
Pumpkin Dance
Live Tarantula Derby!

For more information, call (559) 683-3900.

Coarsegold Historical Village

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