Oak Park Earth Fest 2018

Mother and kids at the Earth Fest.

By Sally Stovall

Fun for the whole family awaits at the 2018 Earth Fest, including a wide range of activities for kids from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 21, at the Village of Oak Park Public Works Center, 201 South Blvd. Engage with more than 50 vendors and organizations who will provide hands-on activities, environmental services information, free samples and green goods for sale. Take a tour of the LEED Gold-certified Public Works facility, and check out the beehives on the building’s green roof.

Kids can pet and feed goats from an urban goat farm, play in the bounce house, get their faces painted and enjoy a puppet show. They can also play in a pop-up park set up by the Park District of Oak Park and check out a book from the Oak Park Library’s book bike.

Grab lunch or a snack from food trucks parked on South Boulevard, just outside the Public Works Center.

At this event, visitors can also  recycle eyeglasses, sun glasses and hearing aids, all of which are not eligible for disposal through the Village’s blue bin recycling program. Have an old bike you no longer use?  The organization Working Bikes will collect used bikes in almost any condition provided they are still ridable.

Residents will also have an opportunity to meet members of the Village’s Environment & Energy Commission, which advises the Village Board on issues related to environmental conservation.