Front Royal’s 2023 Earth Day Celebration – Big Fun, Big Impact

On Saturday, April 22nd, Front Royal’s Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee (ESAC) held their 2nd Annual Earth Day Celebration in downtown Front Royal. And it was certainly a big success! There was the inevitability of afternoon showers, so the exhibitors, food, animals, and the crowd all showed up early to take full advantage of a beautiful morning of sunshine.

The overarching goal of the event is to introduce our community to the myriad conservation, environmental, and/or outdoor groups and organizations that are active in our area. It is also a chance to explore the many different opportunities that exist for connecting with the great outdoors. With over 45 local groups attending, there was a full palette to choose from, including fishing and archery, the state parks, several watershed organizations, the Smithsonian, a full line-up of state agencies, the Scouts, 4-H Center, our Anti-Litter Council, and many, many more. A big handful of school groups also attended to showcase their science and environmental projects and programming.

At midday, Mayor Lori Cockrell helped lead the formal Arbor Day proclamation, celebrated with the planting of stunning red blaze maple that will perfectly accent the new pavilion in the Town Square. The Town of Front Royal has earned and maintained the designation of Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation for 24 years and running, and that is something to be very proud of. Our local Tree Stewards have been longtime leaders in this effort, and in celebration of Arbor Day gave away 150 tree saplings. There is so much to be said for the beauty and sense of place that come with the ongoing care and expansion of our town’s trees, gardens, and wildlife corridors.

In the spirit of continuing to grow the event a little bigger and better each year, ESAC added a few special features this time around, including native plant sales, a great lineup of food truck options, and even a full-on petting zoo for kids to interact with some incredibly friendly and fluffy animals. It was a great success to see everyone walking around with plants and tasty food! There was also a consistent crowd circling Carmine, an incredibly talented agility dog owned by Susan Brogan, who spent the morning demonstrating how to pick up litter and how to properly recycle! And for the first time this year, House of Hope integrated their Empty Bowl Supper fundraiser into the mix, and spent the day selling beautiful hand-made bowls and locally-made soups to raise money for their important mission.

And since April showers bring May flowers and the Earth was anxious to make good on its promise, everyone ran for cover when the rains blew in at about 1pm. But everyone went home in good spirits!

The ESAC committee would like to give a special shout-out to the following:

• The Town of Front Royal for their ongoing support of this event, with an emphasis on Lizi Lewis, the Town’s Community Development & Tourism Manager.
• Our Mayor, Lori Cockrell, for leading the Arbor Day celebration (and also helping plant so many trees around town!).
• Explore Art & Clay, who puts forth a tremendous amount of volunteer effort with the creation and painting of so many of the bowls for the Empty Bowl Supper fundraiser.
• Kisha, from Card My Yard, who donated the eye-catching Earth Day signage.
• Starbucks, for donating a big carafe of warm coffee to help get the day off to a good start.

Lastly, there’s no reason you can’t carry on with the Earth Day spirit each and every day of the year. Plant native plants, help do your part to keep our landscapes and watershed clean, and don’t hesitate to follow-up with one (or more!) of the organizations from the event to get more involved.