CLINTON - Clinton has its share of unique attractions and events, one of them: the Feliciana Wildflower Festival, a festival now going on its third year.

The flowers have already begun to line the sidewalks and streets here, as more flowers come, so too will visitors and members of the community, to see firsthand what the Feliciana Wildflower Festival offers this year.

"We try to mimic the general festival model that Louisiana's famous for, so you want food, people to enjoy themselves, but a lot of it is education," Founder of the Feliciana Wildflower Festival, Paul Davidson, said.

Davidson says the festival has three main goals: build community, promote economic development, and educate the community about their impact on the natural world.

"You know what we do and how it affects the overall ecology of the world we live in," he said.

Davidson, a trained biologist and naturalist, says that with his involvement in tourism for a number of years, the festival seemed like a natural thing to try, especially since East Feliciana Parish remains mostly rural with little infrastructure for economic development.

"Tourism is one of the fastest growing industries in the world, and nature-based tourism is the fastest growing facet of the tourism industry," Davidson said.

The Wildflower festival highlights the rural and natural attractions of the area, showing what Davidson says is the importance of the natural world and native local plants.

That's why the festival has become the biggest single-day event in the parish. Last year, between 4,000 and 5,000 people attended; they expect as many or more this year.

"And people say God, I haven't seen this many people in Clinton since the peach festival. It's catching on, but there are still people who live here who don't know that we do this," Davidson said.

Leaning into the local flora and culture, Davidson hopes to include more music in the Wildflower Festival in the future.