This year’s theme: Be Fire Ready

information released, LCN file photos

You won’t want to miss a full day of “edu-tainment” at the annual Chelan Earth Day Fair, this Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Riverwalk Park. This community education and clean up event is organized by the Community Services Work Group, along with sponsoring partnership with the Lake Chelan Chamber of Commerce.

For 35 years, this event has blossomed into a must-do fun community event for the whole family. There’s live entertainment, children’s activities, educational displays, book sale, plant sale, arts and crafts, food vendors, plus information from Lake Chelan Research Institute, Keep it Blue Lake Chelan, Forest Service and Fire Ecology, Columbia Breaks Fire Interpretive Center, Landscape Conservation, Chelan Douglas Land Trust, Cascadia Conservation District, and much more.

Among the Earth Day Fair highlights is the growing number of electric vehicles on display. This year, there should be about 12 including a Tesla cyber truck!  Also Nissan Ayira, Toyota BZ4X, Rivian, F150 Lightning, all 4 Teslas, Link van and a few others who aren’t confirmed yet. Owners will be with their EV to discuss them with visitors.

And there’s a great line up of entertainment scheduled throughout the day! See you at the Earth Day Fair.

Earth Day Fair Entertainment Line-Up

10:00 a.m. — Dan Quigley

Known as Chelan’s Piano Man, Dan is one of the most versatile, talented and prolific musicians in the valley. You can find him popping and up providing a fun and wide variety of music at various venues and hosting open mic nights throughout the area. You’ll hear a lot of familiar tunes, but not quite like you’ve heard them before.

11:00 a.m. — Brittany Jean

Brittany is a folk singer/songwriter based right here in North Central Washington. You may have seen and heard her at numerous venues throughout the area. Brittany has released five full-length albums and one EP — all recorded in Nashville, and her music has taken her across the country many times. We’re happy to have her on the Earth Day Fair entertainment stage this year.

12:30 p.m. — Kevin Jones Band

An Earth Day fair tradition, the Kevin Jones Band returns with Kevin on electric and acoustic guitars and vocals, Cam Nichols on guitars and vocals, Doyle Wood on electric and acoustic mandolins and Doug Williams on drums. Kevin and Cam create a strong blend of guitar virtuosity and vocals, add Doyle’s smooth and inspired mandolin work and Doug laying it down on drums, and you have a full landscape of both fresh original songs and familiar tunes with some rather unique twists.

2:00 p.m. — Feat of Freedom Dance

This dance troupe has a long-standing reputation of being one of the most fun parts of the day with their smiling faces and creative routines. Feat of Freedom provides a healthy and joyful outlet to encourage youth to express themselves via the art of dance. Guaranteed to put a smile on your face, and you’ll be impressed with the talent of the young dancers.

2:30 p.m. — The Bada Bings

The Badas are a five-piece band coming from the Wenatchee area that plays your favorite songs from the ’60’s through the ’90’s. Our drummer, Brent Rhodes, is a DJ at KKRV; our bass player, Jason Bruce, is a Mechanic; our guitar player, Daniel Travis, is a Bus Driver; our keyboard and guitar player, Mike Bills, is a School Psychologist; and our singer, Dani Fisher, is a Business Woman who calls herself “Mama Bear”. But our favorite jobs are bringing you Pop, Rock, Funk and Classic Country songs.

What is Earth Day?

The first Earth Day,Environment Teach-In catalyzed by an increasing public concern about environmental issues, drew 20 million demonstrators and put environmental crises on the nation’s political agenda.

Gaylord NelsonEarth Day was envisioned in 1969 by Gaylord Nelson, a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin and champion for the environment. Having just toured the devastated Santa Barbara coastline after a major oil spill, Nelson was inspired by recent teach-ins being held in protest of the Vietnam war.

“It suddenly occurred to me,” he said in a speech years later, “Why not have a nationwide teach-in on the environment? In a speech at Seattle in September, I formally announced that there would be a national environmental teach-in sometime in the spring of 1970.”

The First Earth Day, NYCThe Earth Day concept built momentum over the next few months, garnering nationwide press coverage and grassroots support. Gaylord was stunned when 20 million people took part on April 22, 1970. American Heritage magazine called Earth Day “one of the most remarkable happenings in the history of democracy.”

The first Earth Day marked the beginning of a new era in environmental politics, an era that saw the passage of the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and the Endangered Species Act. The success of Earth Day fulfilled Senator Nelson’s goal of “a nationwide demonstration of concern for the environment so large that it would shake the political establishment out of its lethargy and, finally, force this issue permanently onto the national political agenda.”