This year marked the 47th annual Earth Day. Chestertown celebrated in Fountain Park’s Farmers Market and across the street in Memorial Plaza by Emmanuel Church. More than a dozen organizations had booths or displays. Despite the drizzle, quite a few people came out to celebrate the occasion.
Ford Schumann of Infinity Recycling reported that he had sold all his “guess” tickets. Each ticket allowed the purchaser to “guestimate” the weight of two bales of trash – one large, one small. Tague Hurley was the winner for the smaller bale. Tague’s guess was only three pounds less than the actual weight of 845 pounds. The best guess for the the larger bale – which was filled with tin cans – came from Colette Hearn who guessed 1200 pounds (real weight 1289 pounds.) Prizes were gift certificates from local sponsors Figgs Ordinary, Procolino’s, and Play It Again, Sam’s.
There were, of course, recycling bins available and you could bring paper to be shredded. The ukulele club provided live music. Some planned activities were cancelled or curtailed due to the rain. But spirits were high!
Meanwhile in Washington, DC, New York City, and more than 600 cities around the globe, tens of thousands of people honored Earth Day by Marching for Science. The official Earth Day website said “Thank you to the 150,000 supporters of climate science and evidence-based facts who came out on the 47th anniversary of Earth Day to stand with us for truth. We stood solidly together in the rain as if our lives depended on it. And they do!”
Except where otherwise noted, photos for this Earth Day article by Peter Heck. Text by Jane Jewell.
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