2020 Hokie BugFest
Venue: Online Virtual Event, New River Valley
Organizations: Virginia Tech Department of Entomology
Date: Monday, October 12, 2020
Time: 8:00 AM - TBD
Event Types: Miscellaneous, Family Friendly, Speaking Engagements, STEM Events
Cost: Free
Description:
The Virginia Tech Department of Entomology presents the 10th Annual Hokie BugFest as a virtual event starting on Wednesday, October 7, 2020 through Saturday, October 17, 2020.

Hokie BugFest celebrates the fun and exciting science of entomology, and the Virginia Tech tradition of learning and discovery, through outreach and engagement. This unique, virtual event will feature 10 days of activities that culminate with a full day of online programming. The longer format is a key feature of the new virtual event, designed to increase engagement over an extended period. Festival goers can tune in each day to discover one of the 10 most extreme insects on Earth, go on a backyard scavenger hunt, download a daily at-home activity, or get a sneak peek at one of the festival’s main exhibits

The full festival begins on October 17th with over 30 virtual exhibits featuring insect videos, virtual tours, countless at-home activities, and other STEAM-inspired (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) adventures for all ages.

Virtual Hokie BugFest will include a spectacular photo gallery, including 3D arthropod imaging. You can meet the infamous members of the Hokie BugZoo on a virtual tour, watch honeybees in action on the Virginia Tech Hive Cam, or tune in for how-to videos like Gardening for Pollinators.

In addition to on-demand content, October 17 will have a schedule of featured events including:
• “How to Bake Grasshopper Pie” with Virginia Tech Executive Chef Scott Watson;
• Hokie BugFest’s new Cockroach Derby with pre-race voting;
• Insect stories read in English, Spanish, and American sign language;
• Performances from Tony Gustin the Bug Whisperer, local meteorologist Brent Watts from WDBJ7 and bug magician Brandon Owens.

Through the Hokie BugFest Facebook page, you can post your funniest bug joke on the new Arthropod Comedy Wall, enter the Buggy Art Contest or new Lego Bug Challenge and win a prize. Be sure to vote for your favorite contest entry and cockroach racer during the 10-day lead up period. You can also earn your Junior Entomologist Certificate by completing fun online activities.

This event highlights an ongoing youth education program hosted by the Virginia Tech Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, Virginia Cooperative Extension's 4-H program, and the department's student-run professional organization, the W. B. Alwood Entomological Society. Since its inception in 1966, Alwood Society members have engaged over 30,000 children by hosting department tours, visiting schools, and supporting special events like the Hokie BugFest.

For more information, visit: https://vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2020/10/CALS-Ent-HokieBugFest-10.html or http://www.hokiebugfest.org or https://www.facebook.com/hokiebugfest.