Earth Fest highlights wellness and sustainability

The second annual Earth Fest is going to be held Saturday, April 22, at Glen Park in River Falls. The South Kinnickinnic Farmer-Led Watershed Council will participate for the first time with a soil health activity called “Soil Your Undies.”

The festival is coordinated by Hope for Creation, a community group working for sustainability, and over 50 organizations will gather with live music, family activities and food sampling. The Earth Fest last year was more related to environmental sustainability, but this time will have more events related to wellness.

The purpose of the event is to re-engage the broader community on sustainability topics. Other local festivals, such as Bacon Bash and River Falls Days, do not focus on sustainability. The main idea of Earth Fest is getting people to think of what sustainability is and letting them have access to a wide variety of sustainable topics, according to event organizers.

“This event not only provides methods on taking care of our city, rivers and parks but also taking care of our people as well,” said Mark Klapatch-Mathias, sustainability coordinator at UW-River Falls. “Creating a well-connected community is also a goal we are looking forward for.”

The South Kinnickinnic Farmer-Led Watershed Council will prepare some soil samples and allow kids to spray the soil samples to mimic rain to show the impact of soil health practices on water infiltration and flooding. There will also be many booths at Glen Park, where each stand will show an action related to environmental protection.

Other activities will include meditation, a nature walk, and several that will be family friendly.

Earth Fest 2023 is scheduled from noon to 4 p.m. on April 22. Further information is available online at www.hope4creationrf.org.