CAZENOVIA — Each year on April 22, more than a billion people celebrate Earth Day, honoring the achievements of the environmental movement and raising awareness of the need to protect Earth’s natural resources for future generations.
The Cazenovia community will present multiple Earth Day events from April 21 to 27 to give residents and visitors of all ages a chance to get involved.
The featured event, the United Climate Action Network’s (UCAN) annual Cazenovia Earth Day Fair, will be held on Sunday, April 27, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the American Legion.
The fair will include opening remarks by Cazenovia Town Supervisor Kyle Reger at 11:30 a.m., electric vehicle (EV) test drives, energy and environmental exhibitors, a magic show for kids, a Vietnamese food truck, and H. Grey Supply Co. beverages and sweets.
“Events like this are extremely valuable to our community, as they allow us all to celebrate the achievements of these wonderful organizations that perform tremendous work throughout our greater area,” said Reger. “They also allow us the opportunity to discuss challenges that the groups may face so we can work collaboratively towards solutions. Additionally, these events give people a chance to learn more about the organization and how they may be able to volunteer. I am very grateful for UCAN and its dedicated team of volunteers who are making a significant impact in our community.”
UCAN is a grassroots organization in New York’s 22nd Congressional District that advocates for environmentally sustainable policies at the local, state, and national levels and engages with businesses, schools, and other local community organizations to advance environmental literacy and sustainable practices.
“The focus [of this year’s fair] will be on providing the tools and expertise to save energy, lower your carbon footprint, save money, and see what concerned citizens are doing to help protect our environment,” said UCAN Earth Day Committee member Nancy Paolozzi.
At 10:45 a.m., an EV car procession will depart Lakeland Park and head to the American Legion at 26 Chenango St. for the start of the fair.
The event will feature over 25 exhibitors and vendors, including student groups, climate activists, business owners, farmers, and energy experts.
According to Paolozzi, the annual “Trash to Treasure” competition will be replaced by a crafting table run by the Girl Scouts, who will help attendees create new objects from items that would typically be discarded.
“For example, people have been collecting various items [such as] toilet paper rolls and plastic bottle caps to make small cars, cans to make pencil holders, old socks and buttons to make sock puppets, etc.,” she said.
At noon, “Professor Green Pockets” of CAIN Magic Company will present his earth-themed magic show, “The Magic of Being Green.”
According to a press release announcing the Earth Day celebration schedule, UCAN is collaborating with local businesses to introduce a new Cazenovia Earth Week Promotion.
Anyone who visits a participating business from April 21 to 26 can enter a drawing for a prize basket by writing down their name and an action they take to help reduce global warming or protect the environment.
“We are celebrating the practical things many people are doing to be part of the solution,” the press release says.
The prize basket will feature donations from the participating businesses.
“Depending on the number of involved businesses, we may have one to two baskets with about five to seven gifts in each, including a bottle of wine, gift certificates, and food items from specialty shops,” Paolozzi said on April 1. “We will also give away a lovely flower arrangement. We are just in the process of getting commitments from shop owners, but so far, we have at least six confirmed businesses.”
The entrees will be collected at 5 p.m. on April 26 for the April 27 drawing.
For more information on the 2025 Earth Day Fair, contact UCAN at cazrenew@gmail.com.
Cazenovia Earth Week events will be held at various locations throughout the greater Cazenovia area. The schedule includes a Cazenovia Garden Club cleanup at the south end of Cazenovia Lake, a Town of Nelson clean-up, a gently used art supply giveaway at Cazenovia Artisans, a Cazenovia Heritage-led architectural walking tour of Mill and Chenango Streets, and a floral design workshop at the New Woodstock Free Library.
“The art supply giveaway is an example of reducing trash by re-homing items that would otherwise be thrown into the garbage,” noted Paolozzi. “The floral design shows appreciation of the plants provided by our generous Earth, and the architectural tour is just an added bonus.”
All events are free and open to the public.
To view the full schedule of Cazenovia Earth Week events, visit unitedclimateaction.org/earth-day-2023/.
