Earth Day celebration set for Saturday at middle school

The fifth annual Flathead Valley Earth Day festival is Saturday, April 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Whitefish Middle School.

The event is expected to feature close to 50 booths hosted by local nonprofits organizations, conservation groups, government agencies, and green businesses. Each booth will have a hands-on activity, craft, or demonstration for families to learn about a wide range of Earth Day-themed topics.

Booth activities include: planting seeds and starts, crafts out of recycled materials, meeting live birds of prey, practicing catch and release fly fishing, mastering Leave No Trace, making art from natural materials, team building games and sack races, solar power and electric car demonstrations. There will be booths about protecting rivers and clean water, wildlife conservation, recycling and reducing waste, agricultural lands and local food, climate change, trail building and maintenance, public land access, and more.

All are encouraged to go green for the day by biking or walking to the event. There will be a bike rodeo for kids to practice safe biking, and a bike maintenance station for free tune-ups and safety checks. Bring a reusable coffee mug and fill it up at the Montana Coffee Traders table for free. There will be recycling and compost bins to encourage a Zero Waste event.

Attendees will receive a punch card as they arrive to get stickers from the booths they visit. Anyone who visits ten different booths can redeem the card for a sweet treat at the event, sponsored by Fleur Bake Shop.

Between booth activities, grab lunch from one of the local food trucks and enjoy live music at the Earth Day stage. A Wild Bird Show by Wild Wings Recovery Center will be on-stage at 11 a.m. Get-a-Grip’s rock-climbing wall and air jumper will be free for the day for the more adventurous youngsters.

The festival is made possible by Citizens for a Better Flathead, Whitefish School District, Glacier National Park Lodges, Valley Recycling, Whitefish Credit Union, Fleur Bake Shop, and Farm Hands Nourish the Flathead.

For more information, including the schedule and the full lists of booths, please visit www.flatheadcitizens.org/earth-day/ and www.facebook.com/events/708055359596245/.