Home > Outdoors > Earth Day festival still goes on, despite weather
Earth Day festival still goes on, despite weather
BY CORY CLAESON
STATESMAN STAFF WRITER
ISSUE: 78/28
TYLER SWEENEY / STATESMAN
The members of K9 Heartsounds rock out
despite the cold and rain.
RYAN HANSON / STATESMAN
Dan Neff with Neff Glass shows off his
glassblowing skills
Students and members of the community braved the rainy weather this past Saturday to celebrate Earth Day at Leif Erikson Park. The event was created to raise money for environmental causes in the Duluth area. The money raised will go to environmental education centers and future environmental activities.
The festival was hosted by the UMD Earth Club. “The festival is [a chance] to hang with some good friends, support a good cause, and think of Mother Earth,” said senior Jeremiah Peck, who was working at a vendor shop. The festival consisted of environmental clubs, music, food vendors and various craft shops. Some of the environmental clubs included the UMD Earth Club and the Sierra Club.
The craft shops were environmentally themed to celebrate the day, and some of the shops included glass art, cleaning products and Native American jewelry. Clothing, consisting of environmental friendly materials, could also be purchased at the event. “[The festival] lets the community know what is going on environmentally,” said senior Mike Olsen from the Sustainable Twin Ports organization.
Students came for a variety of reasons, and the festival got people to socialize and collaborate about the community, according to Olsen. “I needed something to do, and I’m an environmentalist,” said sophomore Sam Lobby. “The festival is definitely a good thing.”
The food at the event consisted of vendors from Fitger’s Brewhouse, Burrito Union and the Third Street Bakery among several others. Some of the events included a kubb tournament, a lawn game where you knock over wooden blocks by throwing wooden sticks at them. There was also live music on the park stage and a raffle for $1,000 in prizes.
“We try to get a wide array of activities so there would [be] something for everyone,” said senior Earth Club member and Earth Day organizer Kris McNeal.
This is the third year of the Earth Day festival. The reason it formed was due to a lack of education about the environment.”
