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For immediate release
Contact:
Bridget Palmer, Director of Communications
Cherry Hill Township, 856-432-8758
bpalmer@chtownship.com
Brenda Jorett, communications director
Sustainable Cherry Hill, 856-448-2205
Brenda@brendajorett.com
4th Cherry Hill Earth Festival and Bike Ride Kick off Art Blooms Celebration
Phillie Phanatic Making an Appearance to Show his ‘Green’
Cherry Hill, NJ –Cherry Hill Township, Sustainable Cherry Hill, and the Cherry Hill Arts Board celebrate
Earth Day and kick-off Art Blooms with the 4th annual Earth Festival, Saturday, April 27, 2013, from 10
a.m. to 2 p.m., at Croft Farm, 100 Bortons Mill Road in Cherry Hill. The Earth Festival, presented by
Hutchinson, is an interactive celebration of arts, culture, great local food, family activities, health,
wellness, and environmental education. The festival will begin with an 8 a.m. family-fun bike ride from
Challenge Grove Park, adjacent to Croft Farm. Mayor Chuck Cahn and his wife, Stephanie, will be among
the participants.
Organizers expect several thousand people from Cherry Hill and surrounding communities to attend the
free festival, which will take place rain or shine. The Phillies will participate this year with a booth
highlighting the organization’s Red Goes Green efforts at the ballpark, and a special appearance by the
Phillie Phanatic is scheduled between 11 a.m. and noon.
Mayor Chuck Cahn commended the collaboration between the Township, Arts Board and Sustainable
Cherry Hill to create a successful event during Sustainable Cherry Hill’s fifth anniversary. “Combining the
Township’s efforts to protect and preserve our environment and promote wellness, while making the
arts affordable and accessible to our population allows us to present a festival that is open to everyone,”
said Mayor Cahn. “We thank our Arts Board and Sustainable Cherry Hill members, as well as the
corporate sponsors who have worked hard with the Township to produce the festival and the week of
Art Blooms events.”
Registration for the kick-off bike ride begins at 8 a.m. at Challenge Grove, adjacent to Croft Farm.
Sustainable Cherry Hill’s “Way-To-Go” task force has organized two- and nine-mile rides in
neighborhoods adjacent to Croft Farm and Challenge Grove in collaboration with the Cherry Hill Police
and Recreation Department. “Our bike ride is family-friendly and healthy way to start the Earth Festival
Day,” says John Berg, task force leader and bicycling advocate.
During the Earth Festival, students and teachers representing Cherry Hill Schools will present displays
and activities to promote a more sustainable way of living through character education, recycling,
health, wellness, fitness, gardening, safety, and energy and conservation efforts. Gardeners are invited
to bring plant divisions from their home gardens to exchange in a plant swap. Participants who bring the
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proper container can take home free compost supplied by the Township. Plants will be available for sale,
and children are invited to plant tree seedlings that have been donated to the festival.
Among the new displays this year, Magnum Computer Recycling will be stationed at the festival
entrance collecting end-of-life computers, printers, cell phones, MP3 and gaming consoles, small
household appliances and rechargeable batteries for Earth-friendly disposal and recycling. There will be
collection areas to recycle or reuse items including: gently used shoes through Soles 4 Soles, clothing
hangers, and batteries. The Cherry Hill Food Outreach Council volunteers will collect non-perishable
food to help the more than 450 local families who visit the food pantry monthly.
Entertainment on two solar-powered stages will include: soft-rock music from The DG Band, The
Rosettes and Close Harmony from Rosa International Middle School, two Cherry Hill High East String
Quartets, Happy Feet Dance School, Kobukan Karate demonstration, Cherry Hill Pine Barons Barbershop
Chorus, and Out of the Beardspace. Adjacent to the Croft Farm Arts Center, “Little Stevie and his Electric
Mojo” will perform, bringing the band’s upbeat and unique Mardi Gras-style sounds to the event.
Earth Festival offers fun for children, as well, with a moon bounce, interactive environmental activities,
games and flower plantings scheduled. Area businesses will exhibit their products and services, and
provide residents with energy- and money-saving information. “Eco-friendly” merchants will sell a
variety of items as well as food, which will include delicious, healthy options.
Sustainable Cherry Hill’s Lori Braunstein says the festival’s focus is on actively involving residents in
achieving a sustainable community. “The goal is to demonstrate how small lifestyle changes can have a
significant impact on overall sustainability efforts,” says Braunstein. “Many more people are working
work to carry out sustainability efforts in their everyday lives.”
“We’ll have a water truck so visitors can refill their own water bottles. We are trying to achieve zero
waste by composting all food scraps and recycling as much as possible, using student volunteers as
waste monitors. Our food-service providers and vendors are using as much eco-friendly packaging and
serving products as possible, while dozens of our Cherry Hill students from the 19 schools will have
thoughtful displays showing how character and sustainability are partners in a great community,”
Braunstein says.
The Earth Festival event marks the start of the Township’s Art Blooms celebration, which includes a
juried art exhibit, ensemble concert, an eco-friendly fashion show, and other events from April 27
through May 11. Details about Art Blooms and information for artists and performers can be found
online at www.CherryHillArts.Blogspot.com.
For more information on the Earth Festival, including details on family-fun entertainment, student
displays, and vendors, visit www.sustainablecherryhill.org. Sustainable Cherry Hill is a non-profit, allvolunteer organization working to bring people together to build a sustainable South Jersey community.
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