photocredit: lanl.gov
BY: RACHEL SMITH
It’s no surprise Clear Lake puts on one heck of an Earth Day celebration. I’ve never lived in a place with so much pride and respect for a town by the locals.
It’s beautiful.
So what can you do to get involved? Well, there are a lot of ways, actually!
Winter tends to leave behind a mess each and every year. I’m honestly not sure how it even happens, but the wild Spring winds often blow litter and garbage all across the town, in ditches, and up against buildings. Earth Day is the perfect timing to get a crew of friends or co-workers together and help clean up Old Man Winter’s dirty mess!
It’s called the Trash Bash and everyone is welcome to participate! The premise of the trash bash is to get a group of people together to pick up trash in highly visible areas around town. Sites are listed on the website where you can choose where you’d like to clean.
Visit www.earthdayclearlake.org to register, and your group can clean anytime between April 22nd and the 27th.
For an added bonus of fun – take a selfie while you clean and post on social media using the hashtag #cltrashbash for a chance to win a prize! Bags are available at the Clear Lake Chamber!!
Now, if you happen to have a serious aversion to dirt and germs, and picking up trash just isn’t your thing, you can register for the Earth Day 5K or 10K instead.
How does running help, you might ask? Well, the proceeds for race registrations are going to help fund the Everybody Plays Playground, an inclusive play area set to be built in Clear Lake. You can register online at www.earthdayclearlake.org or show up on race day and register in the Lakeview Room.
The event takes place at 9am on Saturday, April 27th at City Park, and participants will run along beautiful South Shore Drive. Awards will be given to the top three males & females in various age categories.
So lace up those running shoes, Forrest, and get signed up!
After the race, stop back up to the park to see Harvey the Great Horned Owl and visit with folks from the Wildlife Care Clinic program. Harvey is a live owl, plus they have various artifacts for kids to see and touch! He will be there from 12-1PM. Plus… there will be a food truck on site from 10am – 1pm.
The event I most look forward to, as part of the Earth Day celebration, is the Green Expo held at the Surf Ballroom. The event is from 4-7pm on Thursday, April 25th and is free and open to the public. Dive into spring by perusing tables filled with gardening tips and activities, sample fresh, local food, and sign up for door prizes. With over fifty vendors, it’s sure to warm your mind, body and soul after the long, harsh winter.
You will also have the chance to vote on the people’s choice winter for the Clear Lake Arts Center Re-Purposing contest. The ability to take an old, dilapidated piece of material and turn it into something beautiful is what this contest is all about. Be sure to stop by and check it out!
So there you have it, folks. For more information about anything Earth Day related, be sure to visit their website www.earthdayclearlake.org or find them on Facebook.
See you at the lake, friends! If we all pull together, we can get this town looking beautiful for another awesome summer of activities and events!