EarthFest coming to Green Lakes May 18

GREEN LAKES STATE PARK – The Town of Manlius Recreation Department, together with the conservation group Sustainable Manlius and New York State Parks, will be presenting “EarthFest 2025” Sunday, May 18 from noon to 3 p.m.
For the first time in its five years, the earth-friendly festival will be taking place at Green Lakes State Park, located at 7900 Green Lakes Road in Fayetteville.
Previously the fest had been held at Canal Landing Park, in the Fayetteville Free Library’s side parking lot, and remotely via a webinar series the first time around as a result of social distancing.
But as in those previous years, the fifth annual festival this month will be all about celebration of the planet and environmental sustainability, with an emphasis placed on renewable energy, climate action, and reduction of carbon emissions.
“It’s a way to celebrate and educate at the same time,” said Town of Manlius Recreation Director Peggy Kenyon. “You can have some fun but learn something while you’re there too.”
Various organizations will be tabling at the May 18 festival with educational booths lining the park’s beach area. That includes Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Eastern Farm Workers Association, the Town of Manlius Tree Commission, Native Roots Ecosystems, Habitat Gardening in Central NY, Manlius Watershed Stewards, Urban Earth Graphics, and Climate Change Awareness & Action.
Green Guardian sponsors for this year’s EarthFest are National Grid, EnergySmart CNY, and Clean Communities of Central New York.
The festival will additionally feature an acoustic performance by singer Eric Scott of the band Dirtroad Ruckus, an open concession stand with food to purchase, and games to play like cornhole and a larger-scale Connect Four board.
Similar to past times, there will also be an electric school bus giving attendees rides to the Green Lakes campgrounds and back, and by the Environmental Education Center a parking lot area will be dedicated to a row of electric vehicles.
There will be no entry fee to get into the park that day for EarthFest, and Kenyon said there will be plenty of parking spaces available onsite.
The organizers of the festival are still looking for more eco-friendly organizations to reserve booths, additional sponsors for the event, more drivers willing to showcase their EVs, and raffle prize donors. Sign-up forms for each can be found on the Facebook pages for the Town of Manlius Recreation Department and Sustainable Manlius, on which event updates will be posted as well.
For more information, people can visit the Sustainable Manlius page on townofmanlius.org or they can call the town’s rec department at 315-637-5188.