International Festival of Owls draws thousands to small Minnesota town

HOUSTON, Minn. – People from around the world are flocking to a small Minnesota town this weekend, all to celebrate one of the world's most interesting birds of prey.

The International Festival of Owls is being held in Houston -- which is about 20 miles west of La Crosse, Wisconsin --  at the International Owl Center.

Karla Bloom is the center's executive director.  

"We just have so much owl stuff going on in Houston over the weekend, it's more than you can shake a stick at," Bloom said.

The International Owl Center holds this festival every year. Bloom says they're expecting 2,000 people to attend. That's twice the population of the town.