Mariposa, CA- The Mariposa Butterfly festival will kick off on Saturday, July 3rd at noon and end Sunday, July 4th at 4 pm. Many activities are planned for the weekend, including several special patriotic performances by Team Fastrax™. An expert skydiver will gracefully fly the American flag over the spectators to start the Butterfly Festival parade Saturday morning, as well as one more performance that evening and one final jump Sunday to close the event.
According to the Yosemite website, as one of the most family-friendly festivals in California, this event is Mariposa’s signature celebration, when families and friends gather for a weekend of music, art, food, education, equestrians, skydivers, and of course, butterflies! The Mariposa Butterfly Festival is inspired by the 1806 Spanish expedition of Gabriel Moraga. After making camp by an almost dry riverbed near present-day Mariposa, Moraga’s company was swarmed by clouds of butterflies that nearly blocked out the sun. He named that place Las Mariposas, Spanish for “The Butterflies,” a title eventually adopted as the name of the city and county. (The Moraga expedition has another local name claim to fame, the “River of Our Lady of Mercy,” today’s Merced River.)
John Hart, owner of Start Skydiving, and Founder of Team Fastrax™, said, “We are honored to perform our patriotic American flag skydive at the Mariposa Butterfly Festival. What a wonderful way to celebrate America’s Independence and start the summer festival season.”
For more information on the Mariposa Butterfly Festival, visit Yosemite.com.
Team Fastrax™ dedicates every performance to a fallen hero. They may be gone but never forgotten. This performance by Team Fastrax™ is dedicated to Army Spc. Vincent Sebastian Ibarria, who Died July 3rd, 2020, serving during Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. For more information on Army Spc. Vincent Sebastian Ibarria, visit the Military Times website.
Team Fastrax™ is sponsored by SELECTiON.COM®, a nationwide provider of criminal and pre-employment background screenings also referred to as a Consumer Reporting Agency. Headquartered in Cincinnati, OH, SELECTiON.COM® is a veteran-owned company that has been in business since 1991 and offers more than 35 background and data collection services.