Home » Coarsegold » 21st Annual Tarantula Festival Comes Creepin’ In

21st Annual Tarantula Festival Comes Creepin’ In

COARSEGOLD – Hairy legs? Check. Halloween costume? Check. Throat lozenges? Check.

You’re ready for the 21st annual Coarsegold Tarantula Festival, which wouldn’t be complete without arachnid races, costume parades, hairy legs contest, scream-fest, pizza eating, pumpkin cake, poetry, crafts, and tarantula appreciation all the way around.

Also known as the Tarantula Awareness Festival, it’s a very special day with family fun for all ages in a great community setting. If you haven’t been, you must go.

Webs are being woven now for the event, which takes place on Saturday, Oct. 27, from 10:30 a.m. when contest signup begins, and lasts until 5 p.m. in the Coarsegold Historic Village along Highway 41. Those 18 and over may wish to participate in the tricycle contest. 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.

While some people may shy away from them, 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 many highlights is the pumpkin dessert contest — the winner receives an overnight stay at a local resort.

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

Coarsegold Historic Village

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