Earth Day Efforts Are Underway

By Kendra Bobowick

Community volunteers are once again preparing to celebrate clean water, clean air and a healthier environment during the 4th Annual Newtown Earth Day celebration, scheduled for Saturday, April 30. The communitywide event will again be staged at Newtown Middle School, between 10 am and 4 pm. A rain date is scheduled for the following Saturday, May 7, indoors at the middle school.

“It’s always a fun day,” said Sustainable Energy Commission Chairman Dan Holmes. New this year is support for Newtown Scholarship Foundation. Proceeds, explained Mr Holmes, will benefit a student studying the environmental sciences or a related field. He also hopes to raise awareness and support for local farms.

“We want to start bringing them attention,” he said, adding there is a need to promote farm-to-table efforts in Newtown as local farms and restaurants work together.

A full day of family fun and learning is designed to highlight Newtown’s abundant natural resources and help the community become a bit “greener,” according the website www.NewtownEarthDay.org. Organizers promise “a great day for the whole family, from kids’ activities, live music, tasty food, and an environmental maze, to a sunrise service, litter pick-up, and a vendor fair.” Nearly 70 vendors from throughout the community — including businesses, civic and school groups, and town associations — have already signed on to participate.

Vendor openings are still available; visit the website above to learn more about signing on.

Art Show Opportunities

The Newtown Cultural Arts Commission is again calling on area artists to “reuse, recycle, reinvent!”

NCAC has issued an open invitation to artists of all ages to turn trash into art. Entries need to be at least 70 percent surplus packaging material, cardboard, newspaper. or whatever material is in abundance.

Visit www.NewtownArtsCommission.org for details.

Lend A Hand

Volunteers are actively being sought for all aspects of the 2011 Earth Day Celebration. Help is needed now, with publicity and spreading the word about the festival (especially through earth-friendly social media including Facebook, My Space, and Twitter), to those who will be able to create exhibitions during the next few weeks.

An environmental maze team is also needed to come up with environmental questions used in the maze, to help build it, and serve as guides.

On-site help will also be needed the day of the festival. Volunteers are also needed to help set up the tables, chairs, and electricity hook-ups, help keep performances on schedule, clean up trash, refill water stations, and clean up and break down as the day ends.

Organizers also seek coordinators to help the middle school custodial staff, the exhibitor/underwriter team and others who ensure that the day goes smoothly.

Coordinator Sondra Bradford-Jennings is the volunteer coordinator. She can be reached at 203-826-6506 or SondraBJ@CrystalPenGrantWriting.com. A full list of the volunteer opportunities is available at the Earth Day website; click on Volunteer for details.

The Celebration

On Saturday, April 30, visitors to Newtown Middle School will find arts and crafts, performances, a recycled art show, and opportunities to “sharpen your eco-knowledge.”

While the middle school events will begin at 10, Earth Day events will start at 9 am when Newtown Lions Club hosts its annual Lose the Litter effort. Members of the club will be at the middle school to hand out bags and gloves for those who are willing to clean along the sides of some of the town’s streets.

The festival will kick off at 10 am with prayer services and Felicia Michael singing “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

All-day activities include the Environmental Maze. Laid out on the school lawn, the attraction will offer an opportunity for kids of all ages to learn about the environment while working their way a huge maze constructed of bamboo. Intersections will have challenges that need to be answered before participants can continue.

Residents will also be urged to “Bring Your Bill.” Sustainable Energy Commission representatives will help people sign up for clean energy.