Earth Fest at Penn State Shenango

12/16/2020

The Shenango River has been nominated as PA River Of The Year. Please vote for the Shenango River, as this designation will be of great help to our local group the Shenango River Watchers. Thank you!

The Shenango River has been nominated as PA’s 2021 River of the Year! Winning this award would allow for the Shenango River Watchers to host a long list of events to celebrate the Shenango as River of the Year. This is a great chance to share the beauty of the Shenango River with people from all over the commonwealth as we celebrate SRW’s 20th Anniversary! Please follow the link below to vote and encourage your friends and family to do the same!

http://pariveroftheyear.org/2021-river-of-the-year/vote-for-a-2021-river-of-the-year/

03/12/2020

Due to current public health concerns over the COVID-19 virus, the President of Penn State University has cancelled all non-essential events at the Penn State campuses. Unfortunately, this includes Penn State Shenango's Earth Fest, which was to take place on Saturday, April 4, 2020. The K-6 Upcycled Art Contest, for which entries were to be submitted next week, is also cancelled. We are not planning to reschedule the event this year. We sincerely thank the community for all of their continued interest and support, as this would have been our 9th annual event. We look forward to resuming Earth Fest in 2021!

03/10/2020

Penn State Shenango's Earth Fest 2020 is coming up on Saturday, April 4, and here's our poster! Please share!

Schedule of Events (in Great Hall unless otherwise noted):
10:30 a.m. "Earth Mindfulness" experience facilitated by Sue Ann Herald -- pre-event activity, meet at the Lion Shrine
11 a.m. Drum Circle with Dr. Kathy Mastrian
12 p.m. Live music from local steel drum band Pantropix
1:15 p.m. presentation by members of Centre County's Climate Action Team & Penn State's Sustainability Institute
2:30 p.m. Upcycled Art Contest Awards Presentation
3:00 p.m. Live music from local steel drum band Pantropix

Food vendors (Great Hall):
Metz Culinary - a la carte/grill
Haitian Sensation - Haitian food and coffee
Bluegrass Kitchen - Argentinian tacos and more
Penn State Berkey Creamery Ice Cream

Activities for families:
K-6 Upcycled Art Exhibit
STEM activites from OH WOW! The Roger & Gloria Jones Center For Science and Technology
"Treasures of the Earth" Habitat Room - Hermitage School District, Buhl Farm Park, and Penn State Shenango Science Department
Plant A Seed - Penn State Shenango Gardening Club
Pollinator Activity - Sharon Family Center

And more...
Penn State Shenango's Student Veterans of America will collect worn and tattered flags for proper disposal
Eco-Friendly Artists Market and information from sustainable local organizations and businesses in the Auditorium
Basket Raffle

Participating Businesses and Organizations:
Breathe Wellness & Plant-Based Cooking
Buhl Farm Park
Citizens Climate Lobby
Green Mountain Energy
Medical Equipment Recycling Program
Mercer County Conservation District
Northwest PA Sportsmen For Conservation
Pennsylvania DEP
Sharon Beautification Commission
Shenango River Watchers
Shenango Valley Gardeners
Tri-County Cleanways
Voter Registration
Walnut Hill Farm

Eco-Friendly Artisans Market:
Carol Novosel Psyanky Eggs
Harry's Honey Pot
Log Cabin Creations
MJ's Woodworking
Nature's Palette Beach Glass Jewelry
oh you silly goose
The Silk Road Market
Spectrum Alpaca Farm
Stella's Sundries

02/04/2020

Earth Fest 2020 is scheduled for Saturday, April 4! The community is invited to join us at Penn State Shenango in downtown Sharon, PA for this observation of the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day. On the schedule this year:
- An "Earth Mindfulness" experience (10:30 a.m.)
- Drum Circle with Dr. Kathy Mastrian (11:00 a.m.)
- Live music from local steel drum band Pantropix (12 p.m. and 3 p.m.)
- A presentation on local climate action by the Climate Action Team from Centre County, PA (1:15 p.m.)
- K-6 Upcycled Art Display and Awards Presentation (2:30 p.m.)
- Fun, educational family activities on nature, habitats, and energy!
- Information tables from Earth-friendly local organizations.
- A vendors' market from sustainability-minded local artists & businesses.
- Food vendors and Penn State Berkey Creamery Ice Cream.
- Penn State Shenango's Student Veterans organization will collect worn and tattered U.S. flags for proper disposal.
- ...and more!
Admission to this event is free, and it is open to the public. We hope that you'll mark your calendars and plan to spend the day at Penn State Shenango on Saturday, April 4!

01/20/2020

Penn State Shenango's Earth Fest is pleased to announce our 5th annual K-6 Upcycled Art Contest! Does your K-6th grader have a flair for creating amazing art out of items that you'd find in the recycling bin? Encourage them to create a work of art to be displayed at this year's Earth Fest! Prizes will be awarded. Please see the contest rules and print out the registration forms below. Submission deadline is Friday, March 20 at 5:00 p.m. Get ready, get set, CREATE!

04/07/2019

Another great Earth Fest has come and gone, and we enjoyed every minute of it! Thanks to Seamus McGraw, Chris Rowlands, the Ukuladies Gone Wild, Kathy Mastrian and all the drummers, Oh Wow!, the K-6 upcycling artists, all of our participating artisans, businesses & organizations, Nancy Bires and the Hermitage School District Green Team and the Shenango River Watchers & Buhl Park/Sandy's Place for their activities, Haitian Sensation, The Bluegrass Kitchen, Penn State Shenango students, faculty, staff, police and maintenance for all of their hard work, and the hundreds of you from the community who joined us today and brought great energy to our event. It wouldn't be Earth Fest without you! See you next year for Earth Fest 2020 when we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day!!

04/06/2019

Penn State ice cream flavors for sale today: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Death By Chocolate, Grilled Stickies (!!!) and Strawberry. $3 cones, $1 kid cups! Stop by the Great Hall for a cone.

04/06/2019

Good morning! Earth Fest is TODAY from 11-4 at Penn State Shenango, 147 Shenango Avenue, in downtown Sharon, PA. We hope that you will join us for a fun and educational day celebrating the environment and sustainable efforts in our community. Admission is free, and parking is free, so please bring your family and friends to enjoy the day with us at Penn State Shenango.

Schedule of events:
- Educational keynote presentation, with critically-acclaimed author/journalist Seamus McGraw, who will speak on the cultural clash over climate change in America at 1:15 p.m. in the Great Hall
- Live music! Community Drum circle from 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. facilitated by Dr. Kathy Mastrian. Environmental songs by musician/puppeteer Christopher Rowlands in the Great Hall at 12:00 & 3:00 p.m. Music by the Ukuladies at 2:15 p.m.
- Hands-on science & energy activities with Oh Wow! science center.
- A coral reef habitat room with crafts and activities for kids and families, courtesy of the Hermitage School District Green Team, the Shenango River Watchers, and Buhl Park.
- Plant a vegetable or flower seed to take home with Penn State Shenango's Gardening Club.
- A display of upcycled art created by area K-6 graders, and an award ceremony at 2:30 p.m..
- Penn State Shenango’s Student Veterans of America club will be collecting worn and tattered flags for proper disposal.
- An Earth-friendly artists’ market and information tables from eco-conscious local businesses and organizations.
- Food vendors: Haitian Sensation, the Bluegrass Kitchen, Metz Food Service and Penn State Berkey Creamery ice cream cones for sale in the Great Hall.

04/03/2019

Earth Fest 2019 is just a few days away! Saturday April 6 from 11-4 at Penn State Shenango in downtown Sharon. Here's the schedule of entertainment on the main stage:
11:00 a.m. - Drum Circle, facilitated by Dr. Kathy Mastrian. We kick off our event with rhythm -- all are invited to participate, and you can bring your own drum or use one of ours!
12:00 & 3:00 p.m. - Music and Puppetry by Christopher Rowlands -- this talented Toledo, OH songwriter has graced the Earth Fest stage in 2013 and 2016, using songs and puppetry to teach audiences of all ages about animals, their habitats, and the importance of environmental conservation.
1:15 p.m. - Our keynote speaker, Seamus McGraw, is an author & journalist from northeast PA. His most recent book is A Thirsty Land: The Making Of An American Water Crisis. He will talk about climate change and "cultural tribalism" and what can be done to overcome it toward positive outcomes. Mr. McGraw will have books for sale at the event.
2:15 p.m. - The Shenango Valley's own "Ukuladies Gone Wild" will present a short set of environmental songs played on, you guessed it, ukuleles!
2:30 p.m. - K-6 Upcycled Art Contest Award Presentation. Penn State Shenango's Outreach Committee will present awards to area youth who submitted amazing works of art made of items destined for the trash or recycle bin.
We'll also have activities for kids and families going on all day long, food vendors, an artists' market, and information table from sustainability-minded local businesses and organizations.

03/25/2019

Penn State Shenango's Earth Fest 2019 on Saturday, April 6 will feature an artists' market that features the work of environmentally-friendly and Fair Trade artisans. These include The Silk Road Market, Stella's Sundries, Spectrum Alpaca Farm, Coryea Maple Products, Log Cabin Creations, Harry's Honey Pot, Carol Novosel Psanky Eggs, and Stigliano Designs. One of our local artisans, Harry's Honey Pot, will "bee" there with local, raw honey & homemade items like: candles, soap, lip balm, beard oil, sugar scrubs & more. If you mention that you're a Facebook fan when you visit their table, you will receive a free lip balm!