Scroll down to find some information to help you know what to wear, as well as what might happen while you’re wearing it.
Thank you for participating in the FIRST ANNUAL MOTH BALL!
Please heed the part about bringing your own dishes and flatware.
Moth Ball is equal parts ritualized outdoor pageant and citizen science project—an event to celebrate and call attention to these stunning and important creatures whose populations are in decline.
Taking place at Gayfeather Gardens on June 25th in Athens, NY, Moth Ball is an opportunity to celebrate summer and track local moth populations (order Lepidoptera).
In the case of inclement weather, Moth Ball will be rescheduled for Sunday, June 26th.
Wooshy. Entomologically inspired and tawdry are also acceptable. This is a midsummer ball.
DRESS CODE
HOW TO GET THERE
Let us not sully this special place with our myriad vehicles. Instead, please assemble, wearing the moth brooches enclosed in your invitations, at the Athens Municipal Parking Lot (one mile from the event site) between 2pm and 2:45pm. Your moth brooch ensures that you will be recognized by the official Moth Ball Messenger.
From the Municipal Parking Lot, you will be shuttled by Mothmobile to the site. This commute is the one part of the day where we are asking that everyone wear a mask, so that the short ride in the Mothmobile does not become a super-spreader event. The rest of the event is outdoors and no one will be expected to wear a mask.
If you have accessibility concerns, please email ptack[dot]costello[at]gmail.com to coordinate.
You can click on the pic to get directions to the lot. If it is full, there should be plenty of street parking available nearby.
Here are two pics showing how you might affix the enclosed moth brooch to your festive attire
2pm-3pm.
Mothmobile shuttle trips will be running from the Athens Municipal Parking Lot.
2pm-5:30pm.
Creative acts (participatory and observed), light victuals, libations, and opportunities for strolling and sitting around the forest.
5:30pm.
Seated multicourse banquet dinner.
8pm.
Group singing.
8:37pm.
Sunset. Mothing begins.
10-11pm.
Shuttle service available back to the parking lot.
* Mothing will continue late into the night! *
PROGRAMME
Because this is a complex logistical feat, we ask that everyone arrive in time to catch the shuttle and plan to stay for the entire event. If you have concerns about this, please reach out in advance.
Anyone wishing to camp on the land for the night is welcome to.
BYO camping gear. Also, though we love your furry friends, please refrain from bringing them to this event.
LEVEL OF RUSTIC-NESS
Moth Ball is completely outside. We will do everything within our power to make sure that the experience will be comfortable and safe. That said, you may want to consider things like footwear, sunscreen, bug repellent, &c.
THE MEAL
If you plan on eating or drinking (and you should), you MUST bring your own plate, bowl, fork, knife, spoon, and cup. This is important.
The menu will be chef-prepared, vegetarian, and celebrating summer.
A BIT MORE ABOUT WHY
Though small and often unnoticed by the human eye, moths are important pollinators and an essential source of food for birds throughout their lifecycle. Moths are present throughout the year; however, the end of June marks peak diversity for moths in the northeastern US. They are a critical indicator species, providing clues about the health of an ecosystem. Often associated with specific host plants, and dependent upon particular habitat conditions, moths’ sensitivity to changes in their environment provide real insights for us as stewards of the places where we live.
As people who share a bioregion with these often unnoticed beings, Moth Ball provides us a way to take a closer look, learn more about the other types of life we share this land with, and open up pathways to right relationship with those creatures and the larger ecosystem.
Moth Ball will result in the collection of necessary data about the moth species living within the area known as Greene County, NY (unceded Mohican territory), an area of the state where that information is currently lacking. In this way, the project will have real scientific impact, forwarding ecological entomological research. It is a way of creating ties between artists, scientists, and vibrant local ecologies.
Also, it will be fun.