Free Earth Day event to take place at Briali Winery

ANGOLA (04/05/2018) — Trine University will host its ninth annual Earth Fest celebration on Saturday, April 21, from noon to 9 p.m. at Briali Winery, 102 W. State Rd. 120.

Earth Fest is the largest Earth Day celebration in the Steuben County area. Begun in 2009 by the Environmental Community Outreach Center and SPEAK for the Earth Club at Trine University, the purpose of this free event is to raise environmental awareness while encouraging members of the tri-state area to live sustainably.

"The goal of Earth Fest is to teach people how to live sustainably on Earth," says Trine University senior and Earth Fest project manager, Benjamin Vigliarolo. "We hope that they'll take what they learn home and use it in their own backyards with their families."

This year's event will include food for sale, live bands, workshops, children's activities, and presentations geared toward raising environmental awareness. For the first time ever, a member of the Hoosier Environmental Council will give the keynote speech at 1 p.m.

Other presenters booked for Earth Fest inlcude Robert Slusarski of Tri-State Nutritional Healing Center on genetically modified organisms, Martha Ferguson on local plants, and Tara Lee and Crystal Van Pelt on water management. The headlining band for the celebration is the KZOO Jazz Collective, along with The Goat's Beards, The Thriftknicks, Los Lemons, John Getz, and Danielle Gyger.

On average, Earth Fest attracts between 400 and 500 people. This year's event is expected to be the most well-attended yet, as vendors have been booked from as far as Kalamazoo and Coldwater, Michigan.

"Every single year, Earth Fest gets bigger and better," states Vigliarolo. "The more people who learn to live sustainably in their own homes, the better the world will be."

To learn more about Earth Fest or to donate to the event, contact Brandy DePriest at depriestb@trine.edu.