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Erica Techo
Karli Howard and Ann Gartman pose with a snake at the 13th Annual Salamander Festival hosted by Friends of Shades Creek on Jan. 28, 2017.
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Lily makes a print of a fish during the 13th Annual Salamander Festival hosted by Friends of Shades Creek on Jan. 28, 2017.
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Sunni Harkley, a fourth grader at Gardendale Elementary, dances during the 13th Annual Salamander Festival hosted by Friends of Shades Creek on Jan. 28, 2017.
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The 13th Annual Salamander Festival hosted by Friends of Shades Creek on Jan. 28, 2017 included nature exhibits of all sorts, including one on fossils.
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Scottie Jackson with the Alabama Wildlife Center stands with an owl at the 13th Annual Salamander Festival hosted by Friends of Shades Creek on Jan. 28, 2017.
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Deb and Craig Gallaway (left) receive an award from the Friends of Shades Creek, thanking for their volunteer efforts, during the 13th Annual Salamander Festival hosted by Friends of Shades Creek on Jan. 28, 2017.
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Eden Schneider, 6, holds a salamander at the 13th Annual Salamander Festival hosted by Friends of Shades Creek on Jan. 28, 2017.
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Caroline, Sarah and Lily pose with artwork they made at the 13th Annual Salamander Festival hosted by Friends of Shades Creek on Jan. 28, 2017.
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Eden and Zoë Schneider, ages 6 and 4, look at salamanders during the 13th Annual Salamander Festival hosted by Friends of Shades Creek on Jan. 28, 2017.
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Olivia Howard (left) and 3 year old Zoya Pritchett act out a story of spotted salamanders during the 13th Annual Salamander Festival hosted by Friends of Shades Creek on Jan. 28, 2017.
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Mika Marriott, a fifth grader at Hall-Kent Elementary, holds a salamander durin the 13th Annual Salamander Festival hosted by Friends of Shades Creek on Jan. 28, 2017.
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Allison Butler, 2, looks through a microscope at a soil sample during the 13th Annual Salamander Festival hosted by Friends of Shades Creek on Jan. 28, 2017.
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Children dance to the music of the Herb Trotman Band during the 13th Annual Salamander Festival hosted by Friends of Shades Creek on Jan. 28, 2017.
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The Herb Trotman Band performs at the 13th Annual Salamander Festival hosted by Friends of Shades Creek on Jan. 28, 2017.
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People dance the Hokey Pokey during the 13th Annual Salamander Festival hosted by Friends of Shades Creek on Jan. 28, 2017.
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Zoë Schneider, 4, looks at
The 13th Annual Salamander Festival once again drew a crowd. Within the first hour of the event on Jan. 28, more than 300 people had already stopped by Homewood Senior Center to see salamanders and other creatures as well as learn more about nature.
Visitors learned from biologists at the festival about the different kinds of salamanders, frogs, turtles and other animals. They were also able to hold salamanders and snakes, snack on free popcorn, listen to live music from The Herb Trotman Band, learn more about the Alabama Wildlife Center, look at fossils and create nature crafts including fish rubbings, where a replica fish was used as a sort of stamp.
The annual event is hosted by Friends of Shades Creek, a nonprofit that works for the protection of and responsible development beside Shades Creek.