By MARJORIE NEEDHAM
Earth Day 2016 will be Friday, April 22. Towns, cities and countries across the world will focus on the environment on this day first celebrated in 1970.
Here in Middlebury, residents will help keep the town clean with the Earth Day Greenway and park clean-up Saturday, April 23, at 10 a.m. Participants will meet at the Meadowview Park Pavilion to get supplies and then will head out along the Greenway and in the parks to pick up litter. For more information on the event, contact Dana Dowling at 203-627-9580.
Woodbury’s Earth Day Celebration will be Saturday, April 23, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Hollow Park on Hollow Road in Woodbury. It will be a rain-or-shine event.
Michael Berecz of The Farm in Woodbury said, “We are excited about this family-friendly experience. Kids will get a chance to learn about the environment and how farming is important to the community. It’s a great day to spend with family and friends outdoors. My brothers and I have grown up in Woodbury and farm here. We think it’s a great event to sponsor, highlighting the importance of our environment through products and education made fun.”
The Farm will host a coloring contest for children and will provide an opportunity to have pictures taken with life-sized animals or the vegetable cutout board, play farm trivia, inspect farm equipment, and dance with the vegetables.
“Our booth will highlight the importance of local agriculture and also have some great products for purchase with roots in Woodbury, pun intended,” said Berecz. They will have samples of Woodbury Sugar Shed’s pure Woodbury maple syrup and The Farm’s own Honestly Heirloom Marinara and salsas. Carole Peck of Carole Peck’s Good News Café will offer cooking demonstrations and recipes. The Farm also will offer information on their Community Supported Agriculture program.
Woodbury’s Earth Day celebration, the largest in Connecticut, is in its 21st year. The event features more than 130 exhibitors. Enjoy the demonstrations, local craftsmen, unique vendors, activities, live music, and more. Admission is free. Find more information at www.woodburyearthday.org.
In North Haven, Conn., Saturday, April 23, the Energize Connecticut partners will host their Annual Earth Day Celebration from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Energize Connecticut Center at 122 Universal Drive North in North Haven (next to Panera Bread in the Target Plaza). The free daylong event will feature family-friendly science and environmental activities
Bash the Trash Environmental Arts will be there from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to help attendees of all ages build musical instruments out of recycled and reused materials.
From 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Mad Science, a leading science enrichment provider in the Northeast, will conduct a number of science activities, including “Energy Blast” and “Fantastic Forces.”
FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) will conduct interactive robot demonstrations all day long. FIRST provides programs that encourage young people to pursue education and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math.
Other entertainment, activities and special guests include Animal Embassy with rescue animals, energy- and earth-themed face painting, a comedy and magic show, a clown, appearances by Effy the Energy-Efficient Dinosaur, energy-themed arts and crafts, Girl Scouts selling crafts and Phil’s Garden Center selling seasonal plants. See a full schedule at EnergizeCT.com/earth-day-2016.
Those willing to travel a bit farther can attend the Mystic Aquarium’s Party for the Planet Friday, April 22, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Mystic, Conn. Those who are members or who have paid for admission can participate in hands-on activities that will demonstrate the destructive effects of oil spills and pollution, the importance of different creatures from sharks to butterflies, and the work done locally to help protect our planet. Plus, they’ll learn how they can reduce their personal impact on the environment through simple changes in their daily routines.
The aquarium also is offering a free event Saturday, April 23, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., a Party by the Coast at Bluff Point State Park in Groton, Conn. Talk to marine biologists as you look for Long Island Sound inhabitants and help clean the beach, all in celebration of the ocean we share with the world. For more information, see mysticaquarium.org.
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