Crane, salmon fests are major fall events

By News-Sentinel staff

Lodi may be known as the wine grape capital of the world in agricultural circles, but for nature lovers, Sandhill cranes and salmon have been associated with the city, thanks to two annual fall festivals.

The fourth annual Salmon Festival will be held Oct. 13-14 while the fifth annual Sandhill Crane Festival takes place Nov. 2-4.

More than 1,200 attended last year’s crane festival, which helped call attention to the thousands of migrating Sandhill cranes which flock to the Delta marshes west of Lodi, where they make their winter home for five months.

Hutchins Street Square is the main focal point for the crane festival, where wildlife exhibits, video presentations and children’s activities are staged.

Last year’s exhibits included one dealing with bird identification and another with live raptors. There were origami paper-folding lessons and children were assisted in making nest boxes for native wood ducks.

An art show also was held.

The most popular activity of the crane festival are the field trips. More than 50 naturalists led trips to regional wildlife areas last year, including the Cosumnes River Preserve and the Woodbridge Ecological Reserve.

Participants were able to walk, boat, or canoe along with wildlife, the most prominent being the Sandhill cranes.

The annual salmon festival celebrates the salmon’s annual migration return up the Mokelumne River.

Exhibits dealing with conservation and the environment are offered during the festival. There are also boat tours on the Mokelumne River and Lodi Lake.

Last year, the Great Valley Serpentarium in Lodi presented an exhibit on snakes, turtles, lizards, tarantulas and scorpions. There also was a 5-kilometer fun run.

The highlight was the salmon barbecue.

As part of last year’s salmon festival, an All-Nations Native Americans Pow Wow was also held. It was the local band of Miwok Indians years ago who first discovered the salmon’s annual migration.

More than 200 dancers from several area Native American tribes participated in last year’s event.

Speakers and a list of exhibits and activities for both festivals have not been announced yet.

While the two festivals help bring public awareness to their environment, as well as the Sandhill crane and salmon migrations, they also have proved to be a boon to the local economy.

Organizers noted nearly three-quarters of the people who attend the crane festival come from outside the county.

For more information, contact the Lodi Chamber of Commerce at (209) 367-7840.