Parents interested in a fun way to teach their children to take care of their environment can take their family to Earth Day in Visalia.
The free event will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the ImagineU Interactive Children's Museum, located at 700 E. Main St. in downtown Visalia.
Earth Day has become a major celebration throughout the United States and the world. In Tulare County, sponsors of the event want to emphasizze how important it is to remember to recycle, reduce, reuse and rebuy to close the loop of waste. Activities include face painting, bug making, sidewalk chalk art, paper making, recycling art and crafts, Native American art and the Visalia Police Department will be taking children's photo IDs.
At 11:30 a.m. an Earth Day Play will be performed by the Children's Museum Drama Class. The play is followed by demonstrations on "Learning the Art of Worming" by Mark Koenig and "Wooden Flute Making" by Mark Callan. From 12:30-2 p.m. the Central Valley band Southern Cross will perform. Recycle Rex, the spokesdinosaur for the California Department of Conservation will be joined by Home Town Buffet's "Bumble Bee," Rollertowne's skating kangaroo "Roller Roo" and the Visalia Oaks "Chatter" the squirrel.
For mom and dad there are two great raffles. The Tulare-Kings Chapter of the American Red Cross will be sponsoring a Special Drawing in Visalia for a 2001 electric car. Entrants must be at least 18 years old and possess a valid driver's license. For more information, or to purchase a ticket, call the Red Cross at 732-6436. Parents can also get free compost for the yard. Just bring your container, gloves and a shovel and you can fill it up for free. Compost will be given to Tulare County residents on a first-come, first-serve basis. You must provide proof of residency.
Old cell phones, PDAs and pagers will be collected and recycled. Everyone is invited to participate by donating these electronic devices, whether they are working or not. Donated phones are kept out of landfills, are refurbished and put into use in developing economies, or are scrapped for parts. Any portable phone is accepted excluding bag phones or vehicle-installed models. All donors should deactivate phones before turning them in. Look for cell phone recycling at the Recycling Activities booth. For more information contact the Solid Waste Division of the Tulare County Resource Management Agency at 733-6291.
