Earth Day celebrations in Whitefish this weekend

There’s plenty of ways to celebrate the planet during Earth Day events Saturday in Whitefish.

Clean the Fish

The annual Clean the Fish effort to pick up litter around Whitefish is planned from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Breakfast will be served to all of the community “litter gitters” at the Glacier Bank parking lot downtown.

Trash bags and gloves will be provided for litter pickup beginning at 9:30 a.m. Designated drivers and trucks will pick up the trash bags and items too big for trash bags that are left along the roads.

Large trash containers will also be available at the Glacier Bank parking lot. Volunteers should be sure to get a ticket during breakfast for the grand prize drawings that will be held during a barbecue lunch at 11 a.m.

The prizes include two youth mountain bikes compliments of Glacier Bank of Whitefish and Glacier Cyclery. An adults grand prize is a gift card compliments of Glacier Bank of Whitefish. Particiapnts must be present to be eligible to win the prizes.

Call 863-6300 for more information.

Earth Day in the Park

The second annual Earth Day in the Park is a free festival held in Depot Park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

More than 40 booths, hosted by local conservation organization and businesses, will be open to explore. Each booth will have a different activity or craft. Folks who complete activities at 10 or more booths with their Earth Day punch card will get a sweet treat from Montana Coffee Traders.

Booths are focused on four pillars: Grow It, Fix It, Save It and Live It.

Under Grow It, participants can learn about native plants, beekeeping, worms and compost, fruit tree grafting, forestry, local farms and gardening with local seeds.

For Fix it, get creative with repurposed arts and crafts; learn about historic trail building techniques and Leave No Trace tips; and see how local hardware stores can help you with do-it-yourself projects.

For Save It, attendees can explore ways to protect special places; learn how to conserve energy and go solar- or wind-powered; check out skins and skulls from wild critters; see wild birds up close and learn about wildlife rehabilitation and protection; protect and measure water quality; and master how to recycle more.

Under, Live It, folks can visit the Earth Day pledge photo booth; take the recycling challenge; learn about local scouting groups; chalk up the sidewalk with Earth Day art; and get involved with trails for walking, hiking, and biking.

On stage will be live music, guest speakers and performances throughout the day. A welcome from Eric Smith, deputy superintendent of Glacier National Park, is at 11 a.m., Wild Wings Recovery Center will have a wild bird show at noon, and live music with Stikbopik is at 1 p.m.

Woodsy the Owl from the National Forest Service will be available for pictures and there will be a 26-foot rock climbing wall. Food trucks and vendors will serve food throughout the event.

E-waste recycling will also be available. E-waste includes computers, monitors, printers, laptops, servers, cell phones, flat screen televisions, stereos, VCRs, and similar electronics. Old tube CRT televisions or monitors cannot be recycled at the event.

Find more information, visit www.flatheadcitizens.org.

Potluck and dance

Glacier Climate Action will host a family potluck and marimba dance party from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Whitefish Moose Lodge.

Bring a dish to share and then dance it off with vibrant tunes provided by the Tropical Montana Marimba Ensemble.

An Earth Day art exhibit will be on display featuring student projects from Muldown Elementary. In addition, those who stop by the Glacier Climate Action booth at Earth Day in the Park, can make art creations out of recycled materials to submit to an art contest as part of the evening events at the Moose Lodge.

Started in 2013, GCA is a group of volunteers that are committed to the promotion of sustainable climate solutions through education, community engagement and activism.

Tropical Montana Marimba Ensemble is a local group who play music on African style marimbas.

This event is free and open to the public. Visit www.glacierclimateaction.org.