As a hand is uncupped and a butterfly flutters away, a sense of release and change can be felt.
That is the idea behind the fifth-annual butterfly release scheduled for Aug. 22 at Smokey Bear Park.
The North Star Hospice memorial butterfly release, said Polly Hebig, is part of the hospice’s bereavement program and helps promote healing from grief.
Hebig said the metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly, and the release itself, can be therapeutic symbols for those who have lost a loved one.
Butterflies, which cost $20 each, can be ordered through North Star Hospice through July 1.
Names of those who have had hospice care and died in the past year will be read aloud, and names of those who are being remembered with the butterflies will be listed in the event program. The release is open to anyone in the community who wishes to participate, not just families who have received hospice care.
The event will be held for the first time at Smokey Bear Park on Aug. 22. Flowers will be brought to the park, on which the butterflies can land.
The butterflies cannot be released in rain, so in the event of rain, Hebig recommends coming to pick up the butterflies to be released when the weather clears. Clouds canceled the public release last year, but families were able to hold private events in their own gardens later in the day. Other years, Hebig said, the chosen date has proven to have perfect release weather.
To order a butterfly, visit North Star Hospice at 900 Third St. in International Falls or return an order form and check to that address. Butterflies can also be ordered Fridays and Saturdays in June at the hospice table at SuperOne.
