|
Kids get antsy at BugFest '97
June 7, 1997
Web posted at: 9:57 p.m. EDT (0157 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- BugFest '97, the Smithsonian
Institution's annual tribute to things small, hairy and
sometimes too disgusting to contemplate, was held Saturday on
the National Mall to the immense pleasure of a
First conceived 20 years ago to celebrate the O. Orkin Insect Zoo, the first insect zoo in the country, the event has evolved into a kind of entomological petting zoo for kids and their indulgent parents.
It features everything from chocolate-covered crickets to free hands-on experience with live cockroaches.
 | (1.5M/40 sec. Smithsonian Institution holds BugFest '97 QuickTime movie (small version)) |
| (3.2/40 sec. Smithsonian Institution holds BugFest '97 QuickTime movie (large version)) |
There were also exhibits displaying African insect stories, cricket cages and a butterfly garden. Songs featuring insects were given their due, and there a number of adult humans dressed like bees and butterflies and spiders.
There was also a man with a hand puppet that bore a remote, if overstuffed, resemblance to a preying mantis.
Entomologists were available to answer questions, and to demonstrate such things as the correct way to mount a butterfly in a glass case.
Among the insects available for handling were caterpillars,
wood beetles, a formidable looking black scorpion in full
armor and a large, velvety black tarantula with elegant
The zoo is named for Otto Orkin, founder of Orkin Pest Control. The company is a co-sponsor of BugFest.
Related stories:
- Add noodles, peppers -- and don't forget the meal worms - April 19, 1997
Related sites:
|
Sound off on our message boardsTell us what you think!You said it... |
|
© 1997 Cable News Network, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.