GAMBIER — Kenyon College will help the community celebrate Earth Day with a free festival on Saturday at the Brown Family Environmental Center (BFEC). The festival features — for the first time ever — a clothing, plant and book swap.
The annual event is family friendly and open to the public. It will take place from noon to 3 p.m. at 9781 Laymon Road.
In addition to a few children’s activities, live music and vendors, a variety of plants, books and gently used clothes will be available to visitors at no cost. Items for donation will be collected at the BFEC Resource Center up until the event.
An environmentally conscious element
Will Pritchard, a member of the Kenyon Class of 2025 and a BFEC post-baccalaureate fellow who is planning the event, said he is particularly excited about adding this new environmentally conscious element to the annual celebration.
“Donating textiles and engaging in clothing swaps is a great way to come together as a community to reduce this waste,” he said. “Minimizing book waste is also important, as, on average, it takes one tree to print 25 books, and it is estimated that approximately 320 million books are thrown away each year.”
Any clothes or books left after the event will be sold later at Kenyon’s Horn Gallery as part of a partnership with Student Council’s Building, Grounds and Sustainability Committee, which also is collecting items. Any remaining clothing will be donated to Interchurch Social Services of Knox County.
The festival also will feature live entertainment starting at noon, provided by Kenyon’s Pep Band, Blueberry Jam, and Baba Ngida. Tthe Mama Lupes Kitchen food truck will sell food.
Guests can enjoy facepainting and borrow nets to explore ponds at the BFEC. Or they can visit with environmentally focused organizations and vendors, such as the Kenyon Farm and Natives in Harmony. Local forester Paul Helser will give away 450 free trees and shrubs.