If you go
* What: Tennessee Sandhill Crane Festival.* When: 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 14-15.* Where: Birchwood Community Center, 5623 Highway 60 (must park here and ride shuttles to Hiwassee Refuge).* Admission: Free.* Phone: 931-456-3068.* Website: www.tn.gov/twra/article/sandhill-crane-festival.
Brant Miller, Dave Woodward and Don King, from left, are 2nd Nature, a Nashville-based country/bluegrass trio. They'll perform at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14, during the Tennessee Sandhill Crane Festival. King will perform twice Sunday, Jan. 15.
Lynne Haas, left, and Tom Morgan will perform heritage music in the Birchwood Community Center during the Tennessee Sandhill Crane Festival.
People gather near the Tennessee River to watch sandhill cranes during last year's Tennessee Sandhill Crane Festival.A drive along Highway 60 between Dayton and Cleveland, Tenn., will produce sightings of sandhill cranes, but this weekend's Tennessee Sandhill Crane Festival offers an opportunity to truly appreciate the massive migration of these big birds.
The entire region will be abuzz with birds and birdwatchers alike. Along with the star of the weekend, many types of waterfowl, bald eagles, golden eagles, white pelicans and even whooping cranes are spotted each year.
Music and programs will take place at Birchwood Community Center both Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 14-15, and free buses will run the short distance to the Hiwassee Refuge and Cherokee Removal Memorial Park. Both the memorial and refuge provide birding opportunities and a list of bird species that may be spotted. Tennessee Ornithological Society and TWRA staff will offer expertise and scopes at each location for prime viewing.
Since the early 1990s, the recovering population of eastern sandhill cranes has been stopping at the Hiwassee Refuge on their way to and from their wintering grounds in Georgia and Florida. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has been managing this refuge for more than 60 years for waterfowl, and the cranes have found a perfect combination of areas for feeding and roosting. As many as 12,000 cranes have been known to overwinter at the confluence of the Tennessee and Hiwassee rivers.
The 2017 festival also coincides with the 14th North American Crane Workshop annual meeting, which takes place in Chattanooga before the festival. Crane researchers and conservationists from around North America are in attendance and will be making the trip to Hiwassee on Saturday.
Activities at the Birchwood Community Center (the former Birchwood Elementary School) include music by local performers and Nashville recording artists, live raptor shows, craft vendors and a program on whooping crane conservation efforts by an expert from the International Crane Federation. A children's arts and craft booth will operate both days.
American Indian artifacts and interpreters will be at the Cherokee Removal Memorial Park both days, along with folklorists and crafters.
Parking is available at Birchwood Community Center only. Shuttles will be provided to the Hiwassee Refuge and Cherokee Removal Memorial Park both days starting at 8 a.m.
The Tennessee Aquarium is providing guided cruises in the area Friday through Monday, Jan. 13-16. Passengers on these two-hour tours aboard the River Gorge Explorer will hear not only about the various migratory and resident birds but also about the Cherokee heritage in the region and historical Mississippian cultural sites that date to A.D. 1000.
If you go
* What: Tennessee Aquarium cruises.* When: 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Friday-Monday, Jan. 13-16.>* Where: Leaving from Sale Creek Marina, 3900 Lee Pike, Soddy-Daisy.* Admission: $35 members, $45 nonmembers (tickets must be purchased in advance).* Website: www.tnaqua.org/sandhill-crane-cruises.Schedule>Saturday, Jan. 147 a.m. Doors open for breakfast (cafeteria open throughout the day)8 a.m. Vendor area opens in the gym and shuttle service begins (buses run to Hiwassee Refuge and Cherokee Memorial from the Birchwood Community Center)11 a.m. Official welcome and heritage music by Tom Morgan and Lynne HaasNoon. Music by Southern Wind and Kids Music Appreciation Program with Tom Morgan1 p.m. Music by 2ND Nature2 p.m. Program on whooping crane conservation efforts by Lizzie Condon from the International Crane Foundation3 p.m. Live raptor show by American Eagle FoundationSunday, Jan. 157 a.m. Doors open8 a.m. Vendor area opens in the gym and first shuttle buses run to Hiwassee Refuge and Cherokee Memorial11 a.m. Official welcome, music by Don King & Friends and Kids Music Appreciation Program by Tom Morgan1 p.m. Live raptor show by American Eagle Foundation2 p.m. Heritage music by Tom Morgan, Lynne Haas and Don King3 p.m. Festival wrap-upBonus programIn addition to Sandhill Crane Cruises, the Tennessee Aquarium, 1 Broad St., will present a free program (with aquarium admission) on crane conservation efforts from 2 to 3 p.m. Monday, Jan. 16. Lizzie Condon, the Keeping Whooping Cranes Safe coordinator for the International Crane Foundation, will give a brief overview of the history of whooping crane populations and human efforts to bring the species back from extinction. Condon also is among the speakers Saturday at Birchwood Community Center.