SPRING MILLS — FrogFest 2024 is returning to Muddy Paws Marsh in Spring Mills for a day full of fun and all things frogs. Located at 4158 Penns Valley Road, this free family-friendly event will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 2. The festival features educational stations for all ages, guest speakers and more.
Mary Kay Williams and her husband, Greg, are the owners of the marsh and have been the driving force behind the annual event since its inception around 2010.
FrogFest 2024 attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about the frogs at Muddy Paws from Penn State Altoona biology professor Jim Julian, as well as other scientists. The experts will share their knowledge on frogs’ lifecycles, their calls, tadpoles and more fun facts.
“Dr. Julian and biologist Carla Hass set up a station all about frogs, amphibians and things that we should know or realize,” Williams noted. “Frogs, as some have mentioned, are kind of like the canaries in a mine shaft to know if there’s a problem. … Frogs are one of the species that, if there are problems in the climate, they’ll be one of the first to let us know through declining populations.”
While frogs may be the main attraction at FrogFest 2024, there will be no shortage of other nature-themed educational activities and stations to help visitors understand the important roles wetlands play in our ecosystem.
The Centre County Extension Master Gardeners will teach guests about local pollinators and butterflies at the pollinator garden. There will also be bird watching and bird walks during the event to learn more about the birds that call the marsh their home, as well as those that pass through the county while migrating. Additionally, attendees will get to create a pinecone bird feeder to take home with them.
Other activities to look forward to at FrogFest 2024 include a frog jumping contest, art on the boardwalk, Zumba and country line dancing.
“We are very much environmental lovers,” Williams explained. “We are people that really enjoy preserving nature, so we preserved this marsh. When we bought it over 30 years ago, it was a mowed field, so we worked with many different agencies to restore the property back to its original wetland state.”
According to Williams, the nearly 35-acre permanently preserved property has become a labor of love over the decades as the couple sought to provide environmental education opportunities locally, leading them to create FrogFest.
“We have some amazing frogs and other critters that inhabit the wetlands, including a lot of birds that are either migrating or are permanent residents. We wanted to share our love of nature with the community,” Williams remarked.
FrogFest 2024 is an entirely free event for families to enjoy. For the Williamses, seeing people enjoy time together in the great outdoors is one of the most important parts of the festival.
“People have sometimes been moving so fast that we lose a connection with nature,” Williams explained. “I always get excited about giving people the opportunity to walk around with their children, their grandchildren or even by themselves to get back into the rhythms of nature. That’s the thing I enjoy seeing the most — people having fun.”
FrogFest 2024 will take place rain or shine. To learn more, visit muddypawsmarsh.org. If you plan on hopping over to FrogFest 2024, Williams encourages guests to remember: the frogs are friends, not food.
“People will say to me, ‘Well, what do you do? Do you serve frog legs?’” Williams laughed. “The answer is no, we don’t! We love our frogs and don’t want to hurt them in any way, so this is not a frog-eating festival.
