Festival Highlights
ART SHOW & SALE
The Art Show and Sale offers high-quality work from local and regional artists. Located in the Burns High School
gymnasium throughout the weekend. This is a wonderful opportunity to view and purchase original pieces of art, including
wildlife paintings, photographs, sculpture, jewelry and much more. Art Show Information & Art Show Vendor Registration Form.
Friday- 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.; Saturday- 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Sunday- 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Fee: Free
THURSDAY FESTIVAL KICK OFF CELEBRATION
Renée Thompson writes about wildlife, her love of birds, and the people who inhabit the
American West. Her first novel, The Bridge at Valentine, received high praise from Pulitzer Prize-winner Larry McMurtry, author of Lonesome Dove. Renée and her husband Steve lived in Burns, Oregon, in the mid-70s, where Steve served as a wildlife biologist for Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Currently Renée and Steve live in Northern California, where Renée is at work on a collection of short stories.
A moving story of conflict, friendship, and love, The Plume Hunter follows the life of Fin McFaddin, a late-nineteenth century Oregon outdoorsman who takes to plume hunting – killing birds to collect feathers for women’s hats – to support his widowed mother. In 1885, more than five million birds were killed in the United States for the millinery industry, prompting the formation of the Audubon Society. The novel brings to life an era of our country’s 
natural history seldom explored in fiction, and follows Fin’s relationships with his lifelong friends as they struggle to adapt to society’s changing mores.
Thursday - 7:00 pm at the Harney County Community Center, 484 North Broadway, Burns.
Fee: Free
FRIDAY NIGHT SPECIAL PRESENTATION
Trish Nixon, Raptor Specialist for the Peregrine Fund’s World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho will present
“Falcons: Flights of Fancy” a discussion of three very different members of the Falcon family. What makes a falcon a
falcon? Are falcons small? How are they different from Hawks? Which falcons are rare or endangered, and why? Topics
will include the similarities and differences in the falcons, and discuss topics such as trends in populations of Gyrfalcons in
the circumpolar habitats in which they live, why the African Teita Falcons are so rare, and the status of the American
Kestrel, including a new project The Peregrine Fund is launching which focuses on this, the smallest of
the falcons in the United States. She will have three live falcons with her; a Gyrfalcon, a rare Teita
Falcon, and an American Kestrel. Trish will be available after her talk to answer all of your questions
about birds of prey.
Friday - 7:00 p.m. in the Burns High School Cafetorium.
Fee: Free
SATURDAY NIGHT BANQUET KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Spend Saturday evening at the Harney County Fairgrounds Memorial Building with fellow birders, a catered meal, no-host
beer and wine and a fantastic presentation by wildlife 
photographer Paul Bannick. Coupling his love of the outdoors with
his skill as a photographer, he creates images that foster the intimacy between viewer and subject, inspiring education
and conservation. Paul’s presentation Owls and Woodpeckers of the West: A Visual Feat, based on his bestselling book,
The Owl and The Woodpecker, takes you on a visual and auditory exploration of habitats of the West through the owls
and woodpeckers that most define and enrich these places. This riveting presentation celebrates the ways the lives of
these two iconic birds are intertwined with one another and with their habitats. Paul will be selling and signing copies of
his book after the banquet.
Saturday - 5:30 p.m. social hour; 6:00 to 7:00 dinner and raffle; 7:00 presentation.
Fee: Tickets for the meal and presentation
are $25.00 per person and can be purchased online during online registration. Pre-purchase is strongly encouraged. Tickets to attend the banquet without dinner are $15.00 and are not available online.
The banquet RAFFLE is not to be missed!
YOUTH ART SHOW CONTEST
Enjoy viewing local youth artwork as they offer a view of wildlife in Harney County and a glimpse into the hearts of the youth. Last year’s winners are featured on this year’s poster, postcard and on banners along Main Street. Be sure to take a stroll down Main Street in Burns to view all of the first place winners for each grade on the Festival Banners.
Youth Art Contest Entries on display at downtown business Thursday, Friday and Saturday – 10:00 to 5:00
Youth Art Contest Winners on display at the Festival Art Show Friday – 5:00 to 9:00 pm, Saturday – 9:00 to 5:00, and Sunday – 9:00 to 2:00.