Clean and Green Festival Turns Five

Got plans on May 19th? Driving all over town in your Suburban trying to find the lowest gas prices before driving to the Beach or mountains? Consider sticking around  for the 5^th annual Clean and Green Festival.

 It's a free event, compliments of the Mecklenburg County Parks & Recreation, and conveniently located on the newest portion of the Little Sugar Creek Greenway, Elizabeth Park.

There will be endless activities for kids and adults, all of which are free. Four hours of family fun outdoors, or four hours sitting in traffic while little Suzie and Tommy punch each other in the backseat. Your call.  If you're kids are over 4, you could even attend a Hands-on Learning Class while they are on a scavenger hunt or learning how to fly fish! That's right, your kid could be a fly fishing aficionado by 4pm on Saturday... Unlikely? Probably. But you'll never find out unless you go.

There will also be some great classes for adults that cover some of those topics that looked easy on the internet but fell flat in your backyard. Like that time you tried composting by throwing all your egg shells and banana peels in a container outside and nothing happened except the explosion of fruit flies whenever you peeked. Or that time you tried clean that carpet stain with vinegar and your room smelled like pickles for days. Two conundrums that could be turned into can-do's at the Clean and Green Festival.

Not only could you learn about finding the right ratio of “green” and “brown” in your compost, but also about safe, effective eco-friendly cleaning products that won't leave your friends wondering why your house smells like Mt. Olive. These subjects and more will be covered in the classes and the Hands-on Stations hosted by farmers. They occur in succession so you don't have to worry about choosing between two and missing out on some savory nuggets of knowledge.

For the tech-savvy, home improvement types there will be a classes on solar PV technology. You could even have a casual chat with a designer or environmental engineer! Excuse me, I just got a little starry-eyed. For hip-foodies and concerned consumers, you can learn all about eating organic vs non-organic and starting your own kitchen garden. And I know you've thought about chickens, now you just have to come.

 And what's a festival without food? You'll probably work up an appetite from all that excitement! You don't want to miss out on the fabulous food trucks or a tasty libations from three local beer vendors.

So, come join us, May 19^th  from 10am-4pm, in sharing an afternoon of good clean and green fun! Microfarm will be with the other farmers in the Hands-On Station. We'll have a really cool mobile chicken coop, organically grown heirloom seedlings, mushroom logs, an 80 gallon rain barrel, and a 3'x5' Kitchen Garden raised bed on display. I expect everyone who rides a 10-speed up to a four-door monster truck to be there.