THORPE'S ANNUAL EARTH DAY CELEBRATION IS GEARED TO IMPROVING THE ENVIRONMENT

THORPE’S ANNUAL EARTH DAY CELEBRATION IS GEARED TO IMPROVING THE ENVIRONMENT
By Marigrace Heyer, mheyer@tnonline.com
The Times News, © 2002

April 22, 2002

Jim Thorpe’s fifth annual Earth Day celebration in the Asa Packer Park offered a combination of music, arts, crafts, good food and educational programs geared to improving the environment for future generations .

“It’s getting better every year,” said one of the two-day event’s prime organizers, Dave Yamrich of Jim Thorpe, who with his wife, Barb, operates the Black Bread Cafe on Race Street. “Our goal is to get the kids involved and try to educate them about making the Earth better in the future.”

While crowds moved through the park viewing the numerous arts and crafts on exhibit, a rotating army of musical groups played throughout both days.

Members of Girl Scout Troop 229 of Jim Thorpe, headed by Sue Urban, demonstrated making recycled crafts including rock-painting, found object sculpture, sand-painting, pottery, pine cone bird feeders and hemp bracelets. They were guided through the projects by Daniel and Michael Wanner of Coyote Aesthetics.

Informational tables were set up in front of the railroad station by the Groundwater Guardians, Master Gardeners, and the Northeast and Lehigh Valley chapters of the Sierra Club. John Klotz of Lehighton and Julie Swarcheck of Summit Hill manned a table covered with hundreds of brochures from 40 national environmental organizations. “We wanted to provide information on a variety of topics related to the environment,” said Swarcheck. “We wanted this to be different from the other festivals,” said co-organizer, Shelli Holland, owner of a shop on Jim Thorpe’s Race Street.