GALLERY: How Pahrump celebrated Earth-Arbor Day
Earth Day and Arbor Day are two dates set aside for the express purpose of celebrating the planet while educating the public about the importance of preserving the environment and this past Saturday, the Pahrump community was treated to a festival in honor of these holidays.
Kicking off at 10 a.m. at the Bob Ruud Community Center, the Earth-Arbor Day festival offered the chance to visit a multitude of booths, all manned by representatives of organizations eager to discuss their group’s mission and how it dovetails with the occasion. Educational materials, brochures, stickers, pens and pencil, coloring books and more were arrayed upon the tables for attendees to take home and conversations kept the atmosphere buzzing with chatter throughout the four-hour event.
With an Earth Day theme of “The Planet vs. Plastics” this year, there were two large bamboo cutting boards up for grabs as door prizes, perfect for replacing the plastic variety. There were five-gallon trees up for raffle as well, compliments of Great Basin Water Co. The first 200 people through the door also received a free, reusable tote, to encourage less waste with plastic grocery bags. The food, all free, was a popular feature at Earth-Arbor Day, too, with Chicago-style hotdogs, both boiled and grilled, headlining a menu that included Frito pie, solar-baked items and tasty smoothies from the Indivisible Prickly Pears.
Earth Day Committee member Debby Woodland, who also works for Great Basin Water Co., said the committee was pleased with this year’s turnout.
“We’ve gotten very positive feedback from both participants and attendees,” Woodland detailed. “I walked around the whole event raffling free five-gallon trees from Great Basin Water Co. and it gave me a chance to talk with many vendors as well as the public.
“We thought that everyone attending enjoyed the new additions we included in the smaller community rooms,” Woodland continued. “The NyE Communities Coalition presented a Gleaning Program by Tamalyn Taylor on collecting excess fresh foods from farms, gardens, farmers markets and grocers. The Cooperative Extension offered a Garden Planner Journaling presentation by Pahrump Master Gardener Laura Jevtich, and Vermi-Composting by Master Gardener Heather Freeman. Pahrump Artists and Artisans, Cheryl Tocco, displayed works of art from local gifted artists. We had 250 attendees and 22 vendors so we were very happy.”
The local Earth-Arbor Day event also presents the opportunity to recognize someone who has a positive impact on the environment in some way and this year, the award for Environmental Person of the Year went to Tamalyn Taylor.
“Each year we recognize an outstanding individual for Environmental Person of the Year and this year’s award winner was Tamalyn. Her dedication to preserving our valley’s environment, as well as the well-being of the residents who utilize her Holistic Health and Wellness fitness classes throughout the year, is just incredible.”
The Earth Day Committee offered its gratitude to all of the vendors who take the time to help make the event a success every year, as well as all of the volunteers whose efforts make the whole thing possible. “Thank you everyone!” Woodland raved.
She also offered one final and very special thank-you, to John Pawlak, who founded the Pahrump Earth Day festivities in 2003.
“John has dedicated his leadership to this for 21 years of volunteer service and he’s inspired a group of dedicated volunteers to present Earth-Arbor Day each year. This was John’s last Earth-Arbor Day, as he will be moving to the Mid-west before year’s end. When people see John out and about, please thank him for all his hard work. It’ll be difficult to fill his shoes and he will be greatly missed by all,” Woodland concluded.
Anyone interested in providing suggestions for or assisting with the next Earth-Arbor Day festival can email BeWaterSmart@GreatBasinWaterCo.com
Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com
