The second annual Grey to Green Festival will be held on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, in Wick Park on Youngstown’s North Side from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The entire festival is free and open to the public and will feature displays and information booths by green non-profits in the area, as well as vendors, healthy food, live entertainment, and earth-friendly activities for children.
As reported in the Wall Street Journal last year, Youngstown’s 2010 Plan has a large “grey to green” component, which provides for protection of the current green space in the city, such as public parks, and also encourages the positive use of green space that is created by the shrinkage of the city, for example, vacant lots created by demolition.
Grey to Green is designed to increase awareness of environmental issues in general, the grey-to-green component of the 2010 plan, and the revitalization plan for Wick Park. Located in the heart of the city near Youngstown State University, Wick Park is a lovely Victorian-era green space populated primarily by large oaks and ringed with a fitness trail, wide sidewalks, handsome old mansions, and broad avenues. The plan for the park focuses on drawing more activity into the interior, creating diverse habitat for plants and animals, and encouraging biophilia and a closer tie to nature in the city.
There will be numerous vendors and educational exhibitions at the festival as well as a Drop in Shop where you can bring your unwanted household goods, drop them off and take something else home. Most usable/working/non hazardous household items are accepted, however please do not bring chemicals, computers and electronics, gas cans, hospital, water, or sofa beds, hot water tanks, paint, piano’s or organs, scrap metal, solvents, tires, or trash.
Children’s activities will include a visit with Dora the Explorer as well as numerous arts and crafts activities. Rob Joki, and the Magic Carpet Children’s Theater will also be premiering a new play with an environmental message.
Adult entertainment will include various bands, acoustic performers and dancers. Brady’s Leap will be kicking off the festival at 10:00 AM at the Wick Park Pavillion. For the more serious minded we are very happy to announce that our speaker is Will Allen from Growing Power.
Wonderful organic food will be available from a variety of local chefs, and from vendors at the Northside Farmers Market which is collaborating with the Grey to Green Festival to festival to bring delicious organic food to festival attendees. Food will be available across the street from Wick Park at the Unitarian Church on Elm Street.
Information about vending or display opportunities is available by emailing organizer Debra Weaver at grey2green1@gmail.com or by calling (330) 744-1748. The Grey to Green Festival may also be found on Facebook.
This is wonderful !
ReplyDeleteI sure wish more towns would build less new buildings and protect/create more green spaces.
A town's charm and what draws people to it, is NOT one business after the other lined up with nothing between them but cement.
But, it is the town's character and beauty which shows onlookers (as well as the other residents) that the folks in it really care about the whole picture and not just jobs.
Organically Yours,
Diana