Penn State Shenango to host Earth Fest

Staff report

SHARON, PA

The community is invited to Penn State Shenango for Earth Fest 2018, which will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the downtown campus. The event, which offers free admission, includes live music and entertainment, an educational presentation on climate change, children’s activities, a local artists’ market, Berkey Creamery ice cream and information from sustainability-minded organizations and businesses. Food and coffee from Haitian Sensation, The Bluegrass Kitchen and AVI will be available to purchase.

Entertainment will begin at 11 a.m. in the Great Hall with a community drum circle. Drums will be provided or participants may take their own. At noon and 3 p.m., sustainability songwriter Musical Mark will bring his interactive performance to the stage.

Dr. Richard Alley from Penn State University Park campus will give a presentation on climate change and its impact on polar ice caps, rising sea levels and human life. Alley is the Evan Pugh Professor of Geosciences and an associate of the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute at Penn State.

Event activities include solid-liquid-gas-themed activities from OH WOW! The Roger and Gloria Jones Children’s Center for Science and Technology; a habitat room with crafts and educational activities focusing on the arctic, courtesy of the Hermitage Schools Green Team, the Shenango River Watchers, Buhl Park and the Penn State Shenango Staff Advisory Council; and a take-home seed-planting activity with the Penn State Shenango Agriculture Club.

Penn State Shenango’s Student Veterans Club will be hosting a flag drive, and participants are encouraged to bring worn and tattered American flags for proper disposal. There will be an exhibition of upcycled artwork created by local students with an award ceremony set for 2:30 in the Great Hall.

The event is co-sponsored by WKBN and Fox Television. For a complete schedule of events, or for information, contact the student affairs office at 724-983-2836 or visit www.facebook.com/PennStateShenangoEarthFest.