County Earth Day Festival April 22
Family-friendly activities will be held at Buffalo Creek Retreat
MEDINA – Area residents are invited to Medina County Park District’s Buffalo Creek Retreat April 22 for a day of fun and learning about our environment at the 21st Annual Medina County Earth Day Festival.
There is lots to see and do at this free event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Park District’s Buffalo Creek Retreat located at 8708 Hubbard Valley Road in Seville.
Among the attractions will be a family fishing derby, an Earth Day Globe Trot and a series of workshops which should be of interest to those interested in ecology and the environment.
“It’s a wonderful family event,” said Tom James, director of the Medina County Park District. “It also gets the message out about what the park district and our vendors do every day to help save the earth.”
The annual Medina County festival is always held on Saturday, but this year it falls on the actual Earth Day, April 22, the date the worldwide observance has been held each year since 1970. The first Earth Day is considered the beginning on the modern environmental movement.
The Medina County Earth Day Festival attracted a record crowd of 1,800 last year and organizers are hoping fair skies April 22 will help the event attract an equal number of visitors this year.
Festival Committee Member Shelly Tender said there will be a lot to see and learn from 30 exhibitors at this year’s event. Those exhibitors include Bike Medina County, Davey Resource Group, Earth Song Farm, the Izaak Walton League, Master Gardeners, Medina Raptor Center, Ohio Bluebird Society, The Sierra Club and Sustainable Medina County.
Also back this year is Jim Smolka and his Bugs Unlimited exhibit, which Tender says is always a popular attraction to those fascinated with large, living insects not typically seen in your backyard.
Friends of the Parks will also be holding a bake sale at the festival and food vendors will be selling hot dogs, french fries and kettle corn.
“There will be some fun activities and a lot of useful information about resources people can use in their landscaping and cleaning products that are good for the environment,” Tender said.
New festival workshops this year will be held on recycling at 10 a.m., making oriole feeders at 11 a.m., rain gardens and rain barrels at 1 p.m. and creating pizza and herb container gardens at 2 p.m. However, there are $15 fees attached to the workshops on making oriole feeders and container gardens. In addition, participants are asked to register by calling 330-722-9316 by April 7.
The Earth Day Globe Trot will begin at 8 a.m. at neighboring Hubbard Valley Park. Participants are asked to pay a $5 registration fee and then run or walk a 1.5-mile loop around the park as many times as they wish. Tender said the event is suitable for all abilities and ages.
Although the Park District hosts the event each year, it is not the only sponsor. Other organizers are the Medina County Soil and Water District, Medina District Library, Solid Waste District, Health Department, Western Reserve Land Conservancy and Akron Regional Air Quality Management District.
Medina County commissioners typically lend their support to the event with a resolution encouraging residents, businesses and institutions to use the occasion to celebrate the Earth and commit to building a sustainable and green economy.
There is lots to see and do at this free event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Park District’s Buffalo Creek Retreat located at 8708 Hubbard Valley Road in Seville.
Among the attractions will be a family fishing derby, an Earth Day Globe Trot and a series of workshops which should be of interest to those interested in ecology and the environment.
“It’s a wonderful family event,” said Tom James, director of the Medina County Park District. “It also gets the message out about what the park district and our vendors do every day to help save the earth.”
The annual Medina County festival is always held on Saturday, but this year it falls on the actual Earth Day, April 22, the date the worldwide observance has been held each year since 1970. The first Earth Day is considered the beginning on the modern environmental movement.
The Medina County Earth Day Festival attracted a record crowd of 1,800 last year and organizers are hoping fair skies April 22 will help the event attract an equal number of visitors this year.
Festival Committee Member Shelly Tender said there will be a lot to see and learn from 30 exhibitors at this year’s event. Those exhibitors include Bike Medina County, Davey Resource Group, Earth Song Farm, the Izaak Walton League, Master Gardeners, Medina Raptor Center, Ohio Bluebird Society, The Sierra Club and Sustainable Medina County.
Also back this year is Jim Smolka and his Bugs Unlimited exhibit, which Tender says is always a popular attraction to those fascinated with large, living insects not typically seen in your backyard.
Friends of the Parks will also be holding a bake sale at the festival and food vendors will be selling hot dogs, french fries and kettle corn.
“There will be some fun activities and a lot of useful information about resources people can use in their landscaping and cleaning products that are good for the environment,” Tender said.
New festival workshops this year will be held on recycling at 10 a.m., making oriole feeders at 11 a.m., rain gardens and rain barrels at 1 p.m. and creating pizza and herb container gardens at 2 p.m. However, there are $15 fees attached to the workshops on making oriole feeders and container gardens. In addition, participants are asked to register by calling 330-722-9316 by April 7.
The Earth Day Globe Trot will begin at 8 a.m. at neighboring Hubbard Valley Park. Participants are asked to pay a $5 registration fee and then run or walk a 1.5-mile loop around the park as many times as they wish. Tender said the event is suitable for all abilities and ages.
Although the Park District hosts the event each year, it is not the only sponsor. Other organizers are the Medina County Soil and Water District, Medina District Library, Solid Waste District, Health Department, Western Reserve Land Conservancy and Akron Regional Air Quality Management District.
Medina County commissioners typically lend their support to the event with a resolution encouraging residents, businesses and institutions to use the occasion to celebrate the Earth and commit to building a sustainable and green economy.