Celebrate Earth Day this weekend in Memorial Peace Park.
The theme for this year’s festival is reConnect – an encouragement to reach out and connect with the people, places, and activities you love – and there will be plenty of activities for the whole family to enjoy.
Main festivities will begin at 10 a.m., with the welcoming ceremonies starting at 10:30 a.m. at the main stage in front of The ACT Arts Centre.
At the welcoming ceremonies thanks will be given to the Katzie First Nation and Kwantlen First Nation for being stewards of the land since time immemorial.
Climate Champions and winners of the Earth Day Poetry and Photo Contests will also be announced, in addition to some impromptu answers to theme-related questions from community representatives.
Throughout the park there will various displays and entertainment.
Members of the Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association will have vehicles on display and will be answering questions about the different types of electric vehicles and why electric vehicles are the future.
The Haney Farmers Market will hold their first market of the season, before the season officially opens in May. Here people can find local produce, artisans, and baked goods for sale.
Anyone with broken household items can bring them to the Ridge Meadows Recycling Society’s Repair Cafe, which will be located on the bandstand in the park. Experienced “fixers” will be on hand to help with anything involving sewing, electrical repair, carpentry, jewelry, or bike repair needs. There will be glue, tape, tools, sewing machines, and more that will be available to use.
The TINKERbell Station will be set up right next to the Repair Cafe, a space for children to get some hands-on experience with tools. They will be able to take things apart and learn how things work, or build original creations.
There will be an interactive nature mandala built by artist Kat Wahamaa where anyone will be able to add their own artistic flourish using flowers, greenery, and more.
The local HUB Cycling group will be holding a draw for free bicycles, bicycles which they have collected and fixed up. Many of the bikes were destined for the scrap heap at the recycling depot, but the group has cleaned them up and made sure they are in good riding condition.
A Family Freecycle will also be taking place where gently used clothing, toys, and books will be organized for guests of the festival in order to pick out items for free.
A drop off event will be taking place Friday, April 17, from 5-7 p.m. in front of the Maple Ridge Leisure Centre.
On the day of the Earth Day celebration, the freecycle will also be taking place at the same location.
The Greater Vancouver Food Truck Festival will also be on site to satisfy any sweet, savoury, and hunger needs.
Special this year will be a school reunion for anyone who attended school or worked at a school in Maple Ridge or Pitt Meadows.
ReConnect Reunion will take place at noon with signs directing former students and employees to their school era where they can register, and make a name tag with their school name and the years they attended.
Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows Art Studio Tour will be hosting hands-on art activities like working with clay, decorating a pottery heart, or picking up a brush and working on a community canvas.
They will also have their own work on display to remind people that the tour takes place on Mother’s Day weekend in May.
There will be two music stages, the main stage in front of The ACT, and one at Market Square at the Haney Farmers Market, and both will host a variety of live entertainment throughout the day.
And roving performers and flash mobs will also be popping up.
Celebrate Earth Day is an annual festival that brings together multiple local environmental, business, and community organizations to create a family-friendly, artistic, inclusive, and interactive event celebrating nature and the outdoors, family and community, and green innovation and technology.
The festival takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 18, in Memorial Peace Park, between Lougheed Highway and Dewdney Trunk Road on 224 Street, downtown Maple Ridge.