Earth Day Richmond and Fish Festival April 25, 2010

This year’s Earth Day Celebration in Richmond promises to be bigger and better than ever.

“With new sponsors and the booming development taking place in Manchester, the planning committee is full of new and exciting plans for this year’s event,” said Noel McKenzie, director of the Enrichmond Foundation and co-chair of the planning committee along with Foundation board member Sandra Booth and Tonie Stevens of Style Weekly.

The event will take place on Sunday, April 25, from noon to 5 p.m. along Hull Street north of the Mayo Bridge, which crosses the river at 14th Street.

“This area of Manchester is really blossoming, and the public will have the opportunity to tour some of the new apartments and properties being developed,” said Heather Russell of Fountainhead Properties, one of the major sponsors for the event this year.

The celebration will include a host of environmentally conscious vendors and exhibitors, as well as programs for children, workshops, local bands, artwork, entertainment and food.

The lineup of local bands on the Main Stage, which will be located in the parking lot at 2nd and Hull streets, includes David Schultz and the Skyline at 12:45 p.m., the Photosynthesizers at 2 p.m., Hot Lava at 3:10 p.m., and Gills & Wings at 4 p.m. You can sample their music and learn much more about Richmond’s Earth Day Celebration online at www.earthdayrichmond.org.

Alicia R. Zatcoff, the city of Richmond’s new sustainability manager, will kick off the festival from the Main Stage at noon with opening remarks and an update on the city’s sustainability efforts.

An acoustic stage in the Kid’s Activity area, which will be in the fountain courtyard at Plant Zero, will feature music by Rockitz, kicking off with Pam McCarthy at noon and followed by Ricky Allen, Heather Griffith, Chris Branch, People's Choice, Tabb Justis, the Floating Folk Band, Jessica Salamonsky, Kirsten Hazler, and Doug Fisher.

A number of sustainable workshops organized by the Backyard Farmer and Save the Trash will be offered on 3rd Street to help participants create a sustainable lifestyle, and art exhibits will be on display inside Art Works and Plant Zero.

Art Works will feature a unique exhibit of art made from recycled or found materials, and “Sky was yellow, Sun was blue” will be on in Plant Zero’s Russell Projects contemporary gallery. Artists will provide live demonstrations, and the public can make their own recycled art or join in the Earth Salutations led by Karen Hansen and Ellie Burke in the Yoga and Wellness Lounge.

The James River Outdoor Coalition will hold its annual Outdoor Gear Swap, so come prepared to recycle your gear or pick up some gently used items, and Richmond’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities will hold it’s annual Fish Festival, featuring the “Dance of the Migrating Shad” and an entire slate of fish-related activities next to the Mayo Bridge.

Style Weekly, a key sponsor of this year’s Earth Day Celebration, will reveal the recipients of its annual Green Hero Awards in a program starting at 4 p.m. at Plant Zero. The award goes to ordinary businesses and people who have made an extraordinary commitment to preserve and improve our planet Earth and our community.

The Earth Day celebration is free to attend thanks to the support of the event’s sponsors: Fountainhead Properties, Style Weekly, Dominion Resources, Altria, Urban Grid Solar, Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities, Brown Distributing, Bud Light, Widmer Brothers, Bon Secours Richmond Health System, Virginia House Development Authority, Walter Parks Architect and Green Duck.

For more information on the event or to volunteer, visit www.earthdayrichmond.org.

Official Website: http://earthdayrichmond.org