Bridgeland in Cypress, TX roars into spring with the return of one of its most popular events, Nature Fest, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 30, in Bridgeland’s Oak Meadow Park.Usually held in the fall, this year’s spring festival revives several event favorites — the high-jumping antics of the Houston Canine Frisbee Disc Club, armadillo races, the Houston Zoo Mobile and Birds of Prey — and introduces new entertainment, including The Great American Duck Races.Audience members will be asked to release the fleet-footed ducks into individual racing lanes where the mallards will vie for top honors. In addition to the races, audience members will learn about ducks and children will be able to feed them. Races will be held at 10:30, 11:30, 1:30, 3:30 and 4:30.Nature Fest visitors also will have a chance to take part in the entertainment during the 2 p.m. performance by The Drum Café, a high-energy troupe that uses the sounds and rhythms of Africa to motivate and inspire companies and organizations. The group is bringing approximately 250 drums so audience members can join in the fun and music.Also on stage will be Birds of Prey and The Crocodile Encounter (a live reptile show), both with two performances, and the Rockit Bayou band. Other Nature Fest activities include a petting zoo, pony rides, baby camel rides, inflatables, a miniature train ride, a climbing rock wall, outdoor laser tag and instructional sessions in kayaking, photography, bird-watching, gardening and more. Festival-goers can take part in a living history treasure hunt along the wooded Cypress Creek Nature Trail, enjoy a tree-planting demonstration by The Tree Truckers and enter a raffle for a 6-foot live oak, a $900 retail value. Visitors also will have a chance to register to win annual family four-packs to the Houston Zoo and the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center as well as Texas Parks and Wildlife passes.Feeding the crowd will be a caravan of cuisine-themed food trucks, a current craze among Houston foodies. These restaurants-on-wheels typically broadcast their locations via Facebook and Twitter, attracting crowds and creating buzz as fans wonder where their favorite strawberry balsamic cupcake or Asian beef fajita will land next. Trucks trekking to Bridgeland will be 3 Cajun Pigs, Bernie’s Burger Bus, Frosted Betty, Fusion Taco, Spork Grill and Papa John’s Pizza.Admission to Nature Fest is free; however, visitors can purchase a Nature Fest T-shirt for $5, with proceeds benefiting the Katy Prairie Conservancy, a land trust committed to protecting a sustainable portion of the Katy Prairie for the benefit of its wildlife and all Texans forever, and Bridgeland supports that initiative by helping to raise funds for the KPC and by spreading the word about the activities and tours the organization hosts throughout the year. The KPC already has conserved nearly 18,000 acres and offers monthly public tours, classes, children’s camps and other programs on its preserves. The Katy Prairie is considered an oasis for migratory birds, with more than 300 species of birds, 110 species of mammals, reptiles and amphibians, 400 species of grasses and wildflowers and thousands of insects and aquatic invertebrates. Visit www.katyprairie.org or e-mail info@katyprairie.org for more information.