Open Arms — Welcome to attend NarbEarth Day, Saturday, May 6
In 2022, when Patsy Higgins was asked “How exciting is it ‘to be back’ after two years of waiting due to COVID,” the planner extraordinaire enthused, “We are very excited to be able to have another NarbEarth Day.”
She added, “It’s a soul-warming day of celebration, meeting old friends and making new ones, relaxing to the cool musical vibes of ‘Grip It and Rip It’ and finding out what’s going on locally to save the earth!”
The 34th Annual NarbEarth Day will highlight a fun environmental fair for children and adults, on Saturday, May 6 from noon to 4 pm in Narberth Park next to the Narberth Community Library. The rain date is May 7, noon to 4 pm.
This free family-oriented happening will feature exhibits and interactive activities promoting environmental responsibility and sustainability, along with foods and artisan goods curated by local vendors.
Higgins continued, looking back “We had missed this fair in substantial ways, including working together to make it happen. The team of people who work on this day are truly wonderful, hard workers who are dedicated to making the world a better place.”
“We are old and young, many with young children to look after, so it’s a challenge to find the time for the work that goes into putting on this event.”
According to the details, the popular, long-running environmental fair will again take place in the “great outside”!
Remarkably, NarbEarth Day will yet again be a trash-free event, using no plastic, a genuine source of pride for the organizers.
Narberth residents, community people, and friends are encouraged to ride Amtrak, walk over, or ride a bike – and enjoy complimentary valet bike parking – and connect with each other and with representatives from local, regional and national groups, while all in attendance celebrate and promote environmental responsibility and sustainability.
The NarbEarth Day Committee encourages, “Learn different ways you can make change happen. You will hear from local groups such as GMO Free PA, Narberth Environmental Advisory Committee and Citizens Climate Lobby, along with the EPA, the Sierra Club, and our representative in Harrisburg, Mary Jo Daly.
“Drop by the free swap tables. Bring and/or take plants, toys, household goods or gently used children’s clothing. You can also bring books for children and adults, or clothing to distribute to underserved communities and schools.”
This unique Narberth event will offer a number of exhibitors such as SHIFT, a women-owned, Narberth-based business which offers eco-conscious goods and services focused on low-impact living.
So many ways to have fun!
• Feast on Jules Pizza, El Toro Tacos, and coffee and snacks (including gluten-free treats) from Narberth’s own GET Café
• Groove to music from Grip It & Rip It (led by Rich Myers, President of the Narberth Civic Association)
• Quench your thirst at the Civic Association’s free water bar, and join NCA while you’re there
• Make a bird feeder, plant seeds, or paint a kindness rock with your children
• Be surprised and delighted by animals from the Riverbend Environmental Center
• Play our always-popular raffle for a chance to win a prize of your choosing. Local businesses have donated gift certificates, gardening supplies, hair products, and baskets of goods
• Learn about organic gardening, composting, tree care, and green burial
• See Narberth’s pollution control initiatives by touring one of our storm water bump outs and an undeveloped land parcel that will be preserved as open space
• Check out the Plant Swap where you can bring and/or take perennials to brighten your garden
• Discover unexpected treasures at the free bring and/or take tables where you’ll find toys, household goods, and kids’ clothes
• Shop for sustainable items from Narberth’s own stores, Shift and Sweet Mabel
• Buy books at the “Narberth Community Library Used Book Sale” (the Library is collecting used books ahead of time)
• Bring things to donate: books or clothing for kids or adults to be distributed to underserved communities and schools
• Explore Narberth Borough’s rich history with the “Friends of Narberth History”
Based on notes from longtime Narberth resident and founder of Yoga Garden, Georgette DuBois, the first NarbEarth Day was started in 1990 by Nancy Lotz, who was then on the board of the Narberth Civic Association, and it was keyed to the anniversary of the original Earth Day, April 22, 1970.
As DuBois recalls, “I probably first worked at the plant swap around 1992 or 1993, which means I’ve been involved for nearly thirty years!
“I volunteered for a number of years, and then one year when it looked like it wasn’t going to happen, I took on the job of organizing the event, and I did that for several years. It was too important and wonderful to let it go!
“When Patsy Higgins agreed to be involved, she took us to a whole new level of organization, with spreadsheets, extensive notes, and a map of where everything would be set up in the park.
“In recent years, I’ve been awed by the way NarbEarth Day has grown and evolved, and by the amazing, committed volunteers who make this all happen.
“I remember when the plant swap consisted of me sitting at a picnic table with a few plants. Now we have a team of gardeners who come back every year to staff the table, which overflows with donated plants and seedlings.”
DuBois summarizes, “Because we are all volunteers who create NarbEarth Day, we always have a thank-you lunch afterwards to appreciate all of our volunteers who work on planning for months ahead of time, and those who show up to help on the day of the event.
In anticipation of “now and the future,” DuBois sparks enthusiasm, “We look forward to carrying on for years to come!”
There are also opportunities for local students to assist in the goings-on, Set-Up, 10 am to Noon; Midday Help, Noon to 2 pm; and Clean-Up, 3 pm to 5 pm. Contact Mary Brown to volunteer for any of the three shifts, mbrown@sju.edu.
NarbEarth Day is presented by the Narberth Civic Association. For more information, visit narberthcivic.org, send an email to nca@narberthcivic.org, or contact Patsy Higgins at 610-608-2445. Please note, in case of rain, NarbEarth Day will be rescheduled to Sunday, May 7, noon to 4 pm.
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