From our friend Ann Erdman, Pasadena's public information officer:
The Pasadena Earth & Arts Festival returns to Old Pasadena on Saturday, April 16, from 10 AM- 4 PM, celebrating all things green and artistic through hands-on activities, product demonstrations, resource sharing, live entertainment and eco-Jeopardy.
This free, ninth annual event will take place in and around Memorial Park and the Armory Center for the Arts, 145 N. Raymond Ave.
Businesses and nonprofit organizations will display information or sell items at the eco-marketplace that promote green living, energy and water efficiency, composting, organic foods, green building design, alternative transportation and renewable energy.
The festival is also the place to learn more about Pasadena’s resources and plans for waste reduction, recycling, water and energy conservation, and parks and nature preserves.
Kids and parents can get creative together with clay, paper and other Earth-friendly media at arts and crafts tables provided by the Armory Center for the Arts.
Nonstop live entertainment will include Sue B. Dancers, Delta Psi Sigma Beta Step Dance, Danza Yankuikuitl Aztec Dancers, Drumtime Drum Circle, Folklórico Nahuatzen, Folklórico Sol y Luna, Artichoke, George Sarah and String Trio, the reggae- and Latin-infused Roots Collective, R&B artist Quamaine Jones and bluesman Buddy Zapata.
Special guests Machine Project, an experimental arts organization headquartered in Echo Park, will offer an Amplified Electric Melon workshop and drum circle.
By popular demand, Arroyo Time Bank will once again host its Free Market Swap Meet for the public to donate or trade gently used items.
A fun bike tour of Pasadena’s sustainable sites, courtesy of C.I.C.L.E., will begin at 11:30 a.m.
Popular food trucks Frysmith and Komodo will provide affordable and sustainable sustenance throughout the day.
People riding the Metro Gold Line to the Memorial Park Station will receive an Earth Day reusable bag by showing their Metro passes at the transportation booth, while supplies last.
Festival co-sponsors are the city of Pasadena, Armory Center for the Arts, Conscientious Projector and Metro. The stage will be powered free of charge by Martifer Solar USA, a company that specializes in the design, engineering and installation of photovoltaic electric systems and components.
The festival kick-off is on Friday, April 15, at 7:30 p.m. with a free outdoor film screening at the Levitt Pavilion in Memorial Park. “The Economics of Happiness” is a documentary that examines the impact of shifting from a global to a local economy that is more environmentally sustainable.
For more information visit www.cityofpasadena.net/earthday or call (626) 744-4721.
