Caption: Wendy Williamson stands on a bridge overlooking the Lakewalk while she waits for her family to pass by. Even though it rained, many people turned out to celebrate Earth Day.
By Britt Carlson
Earth Day has been celebrated on April 22nd every year since 1970. Earth Day celebrates and raises awareness about the connection between humans and the Earth. Hillside residents had many opportunities to participate in Earth Day activities this year, including a parade on the Lakewalk and a festival at Leif Erickson Park.
The human-powered Earth Day Parade marched, pushed, and pulled floats down the Duluth Lakewalk toward Leif Erickson Park on Saturday, April 21st. The parade was open to all and drew a diverse crowd of families, school groups, and community organizations. Spectators also had a great time observing the multi-colored costumes and props that passed by.
Each parade entry was evaluated by a panel of judges on creativity, enthusiasm, use of an environmental theme, use of recycled materials, and overall presentation. A group from Marshall School earned the first place trophy by using old billboard vinyl for their signs.
University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) students, in a course called Large Event Management, planned the parade. Course instructor Guy Merolle believes “that the success of the event was due to the students’ motivation and energy. They put a lot in to planning this event. [Students in Large Event Management] conceived the idea, solicited participants, learned about safety and liability, crowd management, and marketing techniques. They used all their classroom learning in this real-life project.”
Along with the parade, an Earth Day Festival took place at Leif Erickson Park. A student organization called Earth Club, also from UMD, put on the festival. One of the Earth Club members, Henry Pollan, described the goal of the festival as “bringing together people to network, celebrate and have a good time.” The goal of the festival and parade were so similar that they decided to work together to put on a larger event.
Their message for Earth Day was summed up in a short play performed on the Leif Erickson Park amphitheater stage. The play was a student written and directed “sequel” to the book, The Lorax, by Dr. Suess. The conclusion of the play left the narrator on stage to sum up the message. With Dr. Suess-style poetry he said to the crowd—and all Hillside residents— “You speak for the trees and we’ll do the same / speak for the birds and the fish and clean rain / speak for those who can’t call on the phone / and speak with your actions, not just your tone.”
