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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DATE: April 14, 2008
CONTACT:
Amanda Mattingly, DRA staff: (605) 697-5204
Mavis Gehant, DRA Member and Earth Day committee, Brookings: (618) 276-6696
Earth Day Festival being Held in Brookings
Brookings, SD - In honor of Earth Day Sunday April 20, Dakota Rural Action, in partnership with the South Dakota State University chapter of the Sierra Club, will host an Earth Day Festival at Hillcrest Park in Brookings from noon until 4pm. The festival is open to the public and offers adults and children alike the opportunity to learn more about our planet and ways to preserve our natural resources.
“This year’s celebration will focus on renewable energy and we’re really looking forward to this celebration,” said Mavis Gehant, member of the Earth Day Planning Committee. “We will be featuring several topics including biofuels and fuel blending, wind energy, and solar energy.”
A lunch of farm-raised, home-cooked pork loin sandwiches will be served at noon, and educational booths, and speakers, music and children’s activities will be going on throughout the afternoon.
Guest speakers for the event include Al Kapserson, retired faculty from Lake Area Technical Institute, speaking on biofuels and fuel blending; Pat Spears, Intertribal Council on Utility Policy (COUP), speaking about the potential for wind energy development on South Dakota’s tribal lands; Senator Jim Peterson, Revillo, SD, speaking about recent legislation affecting renewable energy policy in South Dakota; Kimberly Hilgers, Horticulture Instructor, SDSU, speaking about container gardening; and Brian Logue, SDSU, speaking about solar energy development.
The event will also feature a silent auction and raffle. “This year’s silent auction really tried to focus on items from producers featured in the South Dakota Local Foods Directory,” said Gehant. “We have some great items on the table this year, including gift certificates to a variety of local restaurants, meats, vegetables and honey from local farmers, and as usual there are a lot of plants and gardening supplies.”
Items on this years’ auction include honey from Adee Honey Farm in Bruce, down pillows from Goosemobile Pastured meats in Canistota, a package of meat from the Harmony Hills Bison Farm in Arlington, baked goods from the Cider Hill Farm in Arlington, and bedding plants and trees from several local nurseries and greenhouses. A one-night stay with wine tasting at the Valiant Vineyards Resort in Vermillion, SD will also be raffled at the event.
“We are really excited about our celebration on Sunday and we hope that everyone makes plans to join us at the park,” said Gehant. “There’s going to be something for everyone to enjoy.”
The event is free and open to the public. For more information or to purchase tickets for the raffle contact Dakota Rural Action at (605) 697-5204. In case of rain, the event will be held at the SDSU Performing Arts Center as scheduled.
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