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“I was at a class in Clinton about fireflies with Paul and Libby Hartfield,” says
Claire. “Libby told me about the Snappy Synchs along the Trace, behind the craft
center. For a couple of years I went out there at night with friends to watch them.”
Because Claire is interested in using nature to promote tourism, she had an idea
of partnering with the Craftsmen’s Guild to do an event around the fireflies at the
craft center.
“That was in 2019, and we were planning a big event in 2020, then Covid hit,”
recalls Claire. “We had to regroup, and due to the Park Service’s strong restrictions,
we decided to do small group tours. It was such a hit that the event now centers
on those tours.”
The event kicks off with a “Snappy Synch Soiree,” a ticketed party featuring
live music, specialty cocktail, and hors d’oeuvres. Party attendees also get a
guided tour by the master naturalists. For the remaining three nights of the event,
tours are scheduled every thirty minutes. This year’s event was a sell-out, with
816 tickets purchased. Staff members and volunteers from the Craftsmen’s Guild
assisted. Thirty, in all, engaged. Mississippi Master Naturalists had nine volunteers
on hand as tour guides for 46 tours over a three-day period.
To validate Claire’s idea that the fireflies could be a tourism draw, the unique
Facebook page for the event had 5,728 page views, and visitors from across
Mississippi as well as Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, Utah, Louisiana,
Arkansas, Florida, and Missouri, attended the event. “Visit Mississippi sent a
photography crew to take photos for a future Mississippi tourism campaign,”
she says.
“We also had the opportunity to give Senator Roger Wicker and his family
a VIP tour Saturday night,” says Claire. “He asked questions about fireflies for
nearly an hour! He had a great experience at Mississippi’s greatest National
Park Service site.”
The event has sold out every year, which delights Claire. “I am committed
to preserving the Snappy Synchs habitat, and I think the more people who see
it, the more they’ll want to take care of it as well.” Claire says that the master
naturalists have also started identifying other nighttime creatures present at the
site, and they are adding that information on their tours. “This year we identified
several frog species, juvenile barred owls, and flying squirrels.” The highlight of
the event may have been seeing the family from Utah who had never seen fireflies.
“They were absolutely amazed!”
Betsy Ross, the executive director of the Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi,
says the Bill Waller Craft Center was thrilled to play host for Claire Graves’ Snappy
Synch event in May. “We are pleased the event sold out. The Bill Waller Craft
Center is an amazing facility and we are proud to host Claire and the Snappy
Synch event and all of the wonderful volunteers and naturalists.”
Hometown MADISON • 57