By C.J. Vetter
KYLE – It’s the only Earth we’ve got, so why not celebrate it?
The Kyle Public Library will be hosting an Earth Day Celebration from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 23. Entrance to the event is free, and the event will feature free pizza, demonstrations from local environmental groups, and chalk art, as well as a bounce house.
The event is a collaboration between the Kyle Public Library, Kyle Stormwater Administrator Kathy Roecker, Kyle Parks and Recreation Department and the Plum Creek Watershed Partnership (PCWP). The PCWP approached Roecker about the possibility of hosting the event, who then later brought in the other city departments, who in turn reached out to the greater community of environmentalists in Hays County.
“She approached us with the idea this year of making it bigger, and she reached out to her people, specifically the people in Plum Creek Watershed,” said Paul Phelan, director of library services.. “So we sorta had some help, and it’s gonna be a little more robust and be on the more education side.”
This year’s celebration is set to be the biggest yet, as groups from across Hays County will be featured, such as the Great Springs Project, the Hill Country Alliance, the Austin Water Wildland Conservation and the Hays County Master Naturalists. Each group will be hosting free presentations to the public, with talks covering watersheds, composting and aquifers.
“I think all of those key groups working to plan this are all environmental stewards, so we’re super excited about it,” Roecker said.
“Anytime you can provide environmental knowledge at any time it’s kind of a win.”
In addition to demonstrations, attendees will also be able to purchase snow cones from a Kona Ice truck stationed nearby, as well as visit the library’s pollinator garden, which is maintained by the Hays County Master Gardeners and features plants all found in the Kyle area. The garden provides a peaceful area to read books in, as well as an area for butterflies, bees and other pollinators to live.
“It’s all great for our pollinators, since we’re losing our pollinators, and we’ll have bees and butterflies living there,” Phelan said. “It’s also a great place to be on a summer morning.”
This Earth Day celebration will also be the first to be scheduled since the coronavirus pandemic, and the library is eager to set up and create more events to make up for the missed years. The library will also be hosting its weekly miniature wargaming meet-up at the library at the same time.
For more information regarding the event, visit www.cityofkyle.com/library or call the library at 512-268-2442.
