Cheaha State Park

Fairy Weekend at Cheaha State Park

Event Dates:
August 5, 2022, 3:30 pm
August 7, 2022, 4:00 pm
Fairy Weekend at Cheaha State Park

Fairy Tale Weekend at Cheaha State Park

August 5-7, 2022

 

Welcome lovers of nature and the wee folk! Enjoy a magical weekend filled with storytelling, sparkling bubbles, whimsical fairies, fairy house building, and fun in the forest. Put on your wings, see nature as you’ve never seen it before, let your imagination run wild, and join us for this enchanted adventure. As our District Manager & Parks Education Coordinator (and fairy friend), Renee Raney says, “Nature joyously waits for you. She wants to feel your bare feet on the grass and talk to you through the buzzing bees and peeping frogs. She hopes to watch you catch (and release) a firefly, to laugh with you as you splash in a mud puddle, to blow wind through your hair, and herald you with birdsong. Through wonder and imagination, you can discover that every moment in nature is a Once Upon A Time moment.” Plan a campout: sleep under a canopy of trees, watch for evening fairies to ride across the sky on little brown bats, and listen for starlight fairy lullabies. 

 

Nature Nook

Meet the Park Naturalist! Ask questions! Learn more about Cheaha State Park! Meet a live animal! 

Date: Friday, August 5, 2022       

Time: 3:30 PM-5:30 PM

Location: Mountain Store Patio

Cost: FREE       

 

Fairy Tale Campfire Talk: Tairy Fales and Funny Fairy Stories

“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales.”

-Albert Einstein

 

Sit by a campfire, watch for firefly fairies, and listen to hilarious stories about lesser-known fairy tale characters, such as Rindercella and the Big (NOT So Bad) Wolf from Little Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs. Einstein would approve of these fantastic stories: after this program, your children will be brilliant!

 

Date: Friday, August 5, 2022

Time: 8:00 pm-9:00 pm

Location: Lower Improved Campground

Cost: FREE for overnight guests or with Park Admission

 

 

Fairyfest Saturday at Cheaha State Park

“And as the seasons come and go, here’s something you might like to know. There are fairies everywhere: under bushes, in the air, playing games just like you play, singing through their busy day. So listen, touch, and look around…in the air and on the ground. And if you watch all nature’s things, you might just see a fairy’s wing!”

-William Collins

 

Enjoy a day of creative play that immerses your children in the natural world while inspiring them to use their imagination.

 

Arts in the Environment: Making a Fairy Wand from Natural Materials

“There is nothing scientifically impossible, so far as I can see, in some people seeing things that are invisible to others.”

-Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

 

We have a natural hunger and love for nature deep in our souls. As we create art from nature, we connect to the natural world in deeper ways. Utilizing found objects and turning them into fairy wands is a fun and unique way to link children to nature, art, and to make wonderful magical memories.

Date: Saturday, August 6, 2022

Time: 10:00 am-11:00 am

Location: Interpretive Center (Cheaha Lake)

Cost: FREE for overnight guests or with Park Admission

 

Story Time: Hairy, Scary but Mostly Merry: Fairies! with the author (Central District Manager & Parks Education Coordinator) Renee Simmons Raney

“Renee takes you on an enchanting journey into the realm of imagination. Her fairies lead children away from the sterile electronic world that has robbed so many children of the creative joy of childhood. Children have not changed, if you introduce the world of fairies and dreams to them, they love it just as much as the generations who came before. This book gives us the tools we need to travel back into time when magic could teach us so much about reality.”

-Verna Gates, Founder and Executive Director of Fresh Air Family

 

Join award-winning author, storyteller, environmental educator, and District Manager and Parks Education Coordinator, Renee Raney, as she whisks you away to a secret world of wonder and endless possibilities. Purchase a Hairy, Scary but Mostly Merry: Fairies! book from the Mountain Store (100% proceeds go to Cheaha State Park) and discover unique ways to enjoy nature with your children. Renee will be signing books after story time.

 

Date: Saturday, August 6, 2022

Time: 11:00 am-11:30 am

Location: Interpretive Center (Cheaha Lake)

Cost: FREE for overnight guests or with Park Admission

 

 Arts in the Environment: Building Fairy Houses in the Forest

“Every moment spent in nature is a Once Upon a Time moment. Anyone can build a fairy house. The main tool needed is imagination. Pretend you are only about three inches tall (or the size of your pointy finger). Where would you want to live? The second tool is observation. The only rule is to use only natural found materials. Build it with love and the fairies will find it.” -Renee S. Raney, District Manager and Parks Education Coordinator (and author of Hairy, Scary but Mostly Merry: Fairies! Curing Nature Deficiency through Folklore, Imagination, and Creative Activities)

 

This creative outdoor activity gives your child a better understanding of natural history and the connections between all living things. As you bend down close to the earth, you will see and hear things that you never noticed before. Whether you are 3 or 103, building a fairy house will delight your inner pixie.

 

Date: Saturday, August 6, 2022

Time: 11:30 am-1:00 pm

Location: Interpretive Center (Cheaha Lake)

Cost: FREE for overnight guests or with Park Admission

 

 

Magical Moments: Mermaid Photo Op

Not all enchanted creatures are pint-sized pixies. Meet Alala Niai, siren of the sea, a close cousin to fairies, at Cheaha Lake. Shell-abrate this magical moment of meeting a real mermaid! Bring a camera and your wee mermaids and mermen for a fin-tastic photo op. 

Date: Saturday, August 6, 2022

Time: 1:00 pm-2:00 pm

Location: Cheaha Lake

Cost: FREE for overnight guests or with Park Admission

 

 

 Un-Natural Trail Hike: Let’s See the Forest Like the Fairies See It

“If I had influence with the good fairy who is supposed to preside over the christening of all children, I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life.”

-Rachel Carson

 

Wonder, enchantment, and adventure await around every corner for those bold enough to seek it. Forest fairies are more playful than a child, braver than a lion, quieter than a mouse, and more joyful than a drop of sunshine. Fairies see EVERYTHING! Learn how to see the world through the charmed eyes of a fairy during this very easy nature observations hike.

Date: Saturday, August 6, 2022

Time: 2:00 pm-3:00 pm

Location: Interpretive Center (Cheaha Lake)

Cost: FREE for overnight guests or with Park Admission

 

Fairy Tale Campfire Talk: Finding Fairies and Friends!

 

Listen to terrific tales of fairies, hear the crackling fire, and create tasty fairy-sized s’mores! Cheaha’s interpretive team will lead you on a fun-filled journey, enhancing the natural world with fairies and connecting children of all ages to diverse habitats and creatures, while inspiring a sense of place, a land conservation ethic, and a comfortable fearlessness for outdoor exploration!

 

Date: Saturday, August 6, 2022

Time: 8:00 pm-9:00 pm

Location: Upper Improved Campground

Cost: FREE for overnight guests or with Park Admission

 

 

Sunday Fairy Fun: Make & Take: Building Fairy House Furniture

Now that you know how to create a beautiful fairy home, expand your fairy knowledge to furnish it. Learn how to create your own fairy furniture from natural materials to take home for secret fairy gardens. Build a table, a chair, and a tiny fairy photo frame from natural materials. Limited space. Children must be assisted by an adult (using hot glue guns). Registration is REQUIRED for this crafting activity due to limited supplies. 

 

Call 256- 412-9938 or email Mandy.Pearson@dcnr.alabama.gov to reserve a space in the class.

Date: Sunday, August 7, 2022

Time: 11:00 am-12:30 pm

Location: Interpretive Center (Cheaha Lake)

Cost: FREE for overnight guests or with Park Admission

 

Learning by the Lake

“And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.”

 -Kahlil Gibran

 

Do you have a child who is curious about the great outdoors? The interpretive team will help them connect with the natural world through art, activities, storytelling, games, and so much more. Stop by and make some new connections. 

 

Date: Sunday, August 7, 2022

Time: 12:00 noon-4:00 pm

Location: Interpretive Center (Cheaha Lake)

Cost: FREE for overnight guests or with Park Admission

 

Ongoing Activities (August 5-7, 2022)

-Leave Only Fairy Footprints

Location: Enchanted Garden 

Build a fairy house out of natural materials. You might just catch a glimpse of a fairy darting into your new home!

- Photo Scavenger Hunt

Sharpen your hide and seek skills by finding all the hidden locations. Pick up a scavenger hunt sheet from the Mountain Store.

-Hike to the Highest Point in Alabama: Bigfoot Trail (1 mile)

Count how many hidden Bigfoots you see along the way.

-Self-guided Hikes

Bald Rock Boardwalk (0.66 miles)

Heritage Trail (0.44 miles)

Mountain Laurel Trail (1.4miles)

-Legacy Story Trails

Cheaha Legacy Story Trails offer guests a unique way to enjoy nature, cultural heritage, and environmental arts. Follow the interpretive panels on the Tim Haney Sensory Trail (LNT Bigfoot Trail), Shinrin-yoku Trail (Mountain Laurel Trail), and the Time Traveler Adventure Quest (begins at the Mountain Store). Stop by the Mountain Store to pick up a trail map.

-Play on the Imagination Tree Playground

Location: Tower Road

-Gem Mine

Various buckets of gemstones are available at the Mountain Store

 

For more information about International Fairy Day or Fairy Tale Weekend, email Mandy.Pearson@dcnr.alabama.gov or call 256 412-9938. The programs are free with gate admission and to overnight guests.