On a winter night kids, parents, and students poured into Foellinger Auditorium for a viewing of monstrous scorpions, deadly trilobites, and handheld grasshoppers. The 27th annual Insect Fear Film Festival was held at the University of Illinois this past weekend and people came out to view the variety of bugs, arachnids, and other creepy crawlies. Some came just for the films, some for the petting zoo, and others to see the ancient fossils.
“It’s so cute,” young Keli squealed as she held a cockroach. Children were the main audience for the event.
They walked around with painted butterflies on their faces and actual grasshoppers on their sleeves. They gazed at the “bug petting zoo” with its black scorpions, grasshoppers, and huge horseshoe crabs. Many were fascinated by the insects but others did not take kindly to the bugs. “This one had a very negative reaction to the cockroach,” Chad Euing said, referring to his daughter.
Another great part of the festival was the art exhibit that showcased the artwork of students in the local area. This brought many members of the younger generation to the festival.
Even the parents found the event entertaining. Though some felt they were there only there to be with their kids, many found the festival very enjoyable. They took pictures of the children covered in bugs and some even decided to face their fear and hold the bugs. Some were excited to see the exhibits. “Kids love it, but sometimes you get an adult that is more enthused than the kid,” said bug scope operator Alex Lazarevich.
Also present at the festival were a number of university entomology students and faculty who explained to the festival goers the details of the insects. They walked around covered in a variety of different insects, telling spectators why the grasshoppers don’t fly and the anatomy of horseshoe crabs. Many explained that the “insects” being shown in the film were actually arachnids which belong to entirely different class than insects. They patiently showed off the fossils and models of the insects. They painted butterflies and trilobites on the faces and hands of the children. Some even showed off the famous “bug scope” which magnified the different specimens that elementary students collected.
The event coordinator and creator, May Berenbaum, moved swiftly through the crowd taking questions and making sure everything was going smoothly. Berenbaum has been in charge of running the festival for twenty-seven years and has an impressive resume as head of the Entomology Department at the University of Illinois. The Film Festival was a great way to give the public firsthand experience with insects. “Where else can you get a face painting of a trilobite!” she exclaimed.
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