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Photo by Erin Nelson.
Andrew Hurst, 5, left, and Jacob Hightower, 6, hold salamanders as Jim Brown, a retired history professor from Samford University, talks about the types of salamanders they are holding during the annual Friends of Shades Creek Salamander Festival at Homewood High School on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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Photo by Erin Nelson.
Children hold spotted and marbled salamanders at the annual Friends of Shades Creek Salamander Festival at Homewood High School on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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Photo by Erin Nelson.
Ares, 5, and his twin sister Athena Gugliotto Anastasia look at different shark teeth fossils at the annual Friends of Shades Creek Salamander Festival at Homewood High School on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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Photo by Erin Nelson.
Nicole Perry holds a diamondback terrapin at the annual Friends of Shades Creek Salamander Festival at Homewood High School on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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Photo by Erin Nelson.
Hundreds move through a line of tables with displays and animals during the annual Friends of Shades Creek Salamander Festival at Homewood High School on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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Photo by Erin Nelson.
Hundreds move through a line of tables with displays and animals during the annual Friends of Shades Creek Salamander Festival at Homewood High School on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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Photo by Erin Nelson.
Lucas Starnes, 8, looks at a feather through a microscope at the annual Friends of Shades Creek Salamander Festival at Homewood High School on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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Photo by Erin Nelson.
Salamander prints hang to dry during the annual Friends of Shades Creek Salamander Festival at Homewood High School on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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Photo by Erin Nelson.
A spotted salamander is seen in a container as people gather for the annual Friends of Shades Creek Salamander Festival at Homewood High School on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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Photo by Erin Nelson.
A marbled salamander is seen in a container as people gather for the annual Friends of Shades Creek Salamander Festival at Homewood High School on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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Photo by Erin Nelson.
A red salamander is seen in a container as people gather for the annual Friends of Shades Creek Salamander Festival at Homewood High School on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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Photo by Erin Nelson.
Friends of Shades Creek Salamander Festival at Homewood High School on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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Photo by Erin Nelson.
A tiger salamander is seen in a container as people gather for the annual Friends of Shades Creek Salamander Festival at Homewood High School on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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Photo by Erin Nelson.
Carls Sloan, right, talks with guests about different fossils and shark teeth found throughout Alabama during the annual Friends of Shades Creek Salamander Festival at Homewood High School on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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Photo by Erin Nelson.
Mary Stockard, with the Alabama Wildlife Center, holds a red sholdered hawk as attendees gathered for the annual Friends of Shades Creek Salamander Festival at Homewood High School on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. Photo by Erin Nelson.
After a two-year hiatus the Friends of Shades Creek annual Salamander Festival returned Saturday, Jan. 28. Attendees were able to hold live salamanders, examine different organisms under microscopes, see live animals from the Alabama Wildlife Center, and more.