14th Annual Earth Day Celebration at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind., April 21

The 14th Annual Earth Day Celebration
at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind., will
be fun and educational for the entire
family. Times are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (EDT)

Need a remedy for spring fever? Well, White Violet Center for Eco-Justice staff members have an awesome event planned and it will be here before we know it.

The 14th Annual Earth Day Celebration at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind., is 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 21.

The 2011 celebration was cold and wet, so we're expecting good weather this year. Well, that's our prayer anyway.

Under those expected blue skies will be live celtic music by the Women of Erin; live animal conservation education with Silly Safaris; magnificent raptors — hawks, owls, falcons — up close in the Take Flight! Wildlife Education program with Mark Booth; a butterfly program by Dobbs Park Nature Center Naturalist Carissa Lovett; and alpaca shearing demonstrations.


See alpaca shearing demonstrations
at the 14th Annual Earth Day Cele-
bration at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods,
Ind., on Saturday, April 21, 2012.

Enjoy food from local restaurants and other groups; educational and informational booths; children's activities; spinning and weaving demonstrations; and shopping for handmade and eco-friendly wares made by local artists and other small businesses owners.

The theme this year will follow the United Nation's Declaration of 2012 as "The Year of Renewable Energy for All." Gain knowledge about the most cost effective solutions to energy needs from One Planet Solar and Wind, of Terre Haute.

Kids will enjoy fun and educational
activities at the 14th Annual Earth
Day Celebration at Saint Mary-of-the-
Woods, Ind., from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
on Saturday, April 21, 2012.

See the Earth Day celebration schedule. Other details will be added to our website as they are finalized.

Admission is free. There will be free-will offering opportunities at the gates to help with the cost of the event.

Use this address for GPS: 3850 U.S. 150, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, IN 47876.

If you've been to any of our past Earth Day celebrations please leave a comment below and let us know what you enjoy most about this springtime gathering. Hope to see you on April 21!

Happy Earth Day!

A sincere "thank you" to everyone who attended the 13th Annual Earth Day Celebration at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods last Saturday. We appreciate everyone braving the cold, windy and wet weather conditions.

On a beautiful spring day we expect between 2,000 and 3,000 visitors for this event, but the weather forecast of 50 degrees and scattered showers had us a little worried this year. Surprisingly, we estimate about 800 people supported the event and we couldn't have been more pleased. We appreciate the visitors, vendors, educators, sponsors, and volunteers. It was great celebrating with you all!

We look forward to seeing everyone next year on April 21. But hopefully you won't wait that long to visit us again. Hope to see you soon!

Thank you to the Dobbs Park crew.

 The Women of Erin entertained us with their beautiful Irish music.

 Zann Carter was weaving and sharing her beautiful works.

 Families enjoyed time together laughing and learning.

 Awesome newspaper hats were created in the children's area.

 Silly Safari was a big hit with their animals and wildlife education!

 Plants for sale!

 Sister Karen Van De Walle, CSJ, traveled from Indianapolis to sell her gorgeous pottery.

 Sister Jeanne Knoerle spins alpaca fiber in the warm lodge during the celebration.

 Sister Joann Quinkert lets David try his hand at weaving.

 Thank you to the vendors who offered quality handmade products.

Healthy lunch items were enjoyed by all!

The alpacas welcomed hundreds of visitors. (Thanks to Julie O'Neil there in the background!)

 Sister Jean Fuqua explains the spinning of fiber to this little bundled one.

Mark Booth and his raptors were a big hit again this year.

Earth Day celebration at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods April 16

We’re booking the local entertainment, registering vendors, ordering the outdoor tents, and organizing the volunteers and sponsors. There must be something big brewing.

The 13th Annual Earth Day Celebration at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind. is 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 16.

Live animals? We’ve got ’em. Enjoy the fun and educational presentation of Silly Safaris. This show includes a variety of reptiles, mammals, birds and bugs. And that’s not all. We’ll also have Mark Booth’s Take Flight! Wildlife Program featuring owls, hawks and falcons.

Enjoy Irish music by the Women of Erin and other live entertainment. There will be plenty of activities for children of all ages, including a presentation by Carissa Lovett, naturalist at Dobbs Park in Terre Haute.

Local artisans will be selling their wares; fiber artists will demonstrate spinning, weaving and felting; woodworkers and blacksmiths will be working; kettle corn will be popping; and so more.

We’re still in need of volunteers and sponsors. We are accepting sponsorships until March 15. Please contact Robyn Morton at 812-535-2932 or rmorton@spsmw.org if you are interested in this opportunity.

A big THANK YOU to our sponsors so far. They are Sony DADC, Goodwill Industries of Terre Haute, and the Center for Public Service and Community Engagement at Indiana State University. Thank you so much!

See photos from the 2010 celebration.

Thank you!

White Violet Center for Eco-Justice staff members would like to thank everyone who had anything to do with the 12th Annual Earth Day Celebration at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods last Saturday. No contribution is too small. It takes many hands to make a major event like this come together and it came together beautifully.

About 2,000 people attended this year’s event that focused on “Going local.” We appreciate everyone who attended.

We hope you won’t wait another 12 months to visit us again. Keep an eye our monthly events and activities. We hope to see you again soon!

See photos from the day here.

Welcoming the community

It’s such an honor to be a part of an organization that works so hard for what they believe in.

Our annual Earth Day celebration is tomorrow. It’s hard to believe it’s finally here.

This time of year is when some of what White Violet Center for Eco-Justice believes in is so obvious — supporting community businesses and organizations, education and living as sustainably as possible.

The list of event activities, exhibitors, vendors and volunteers is very impressive. The details are endless. The creativity and planning that goes into this special day is amazing. We thank God the weather is expected to be 64 degrees and sunny. Everyone works just as hard for an event that has bad weather as one that has good … so when it’s good weather it’s extra wonderful!

Thousands of visitors have attended in past years and we hope this is no exception. We look forward to seeing the individuals and families roaming this beautiful home of the Sisters of Providence, while making new friends, learning and having fun.

Happy Earth Day to all!

Earth Day celebration Saturday

This Saturday is the 12th Annual Earth Day Celebration at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods!
11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Live entertainment, fun activities for children, alpaca meet and greets, alpaca shearing demo, spinning and weaving demos, straw bale house and garden tours, food from local restaurants, plant sales, a bake sale, and more.

The theme this year is "Going local." A full list of educational booths and vendors and the event schedule are at www.WhiteViolet.org.

The event is free, but there is an opportunity to give a free-will donation at the gates.

We hope you bring your friends and family and have a wonderful time enjoying Saint Mary-of-the-Woods in all its spring glory this Saturday for this family-friendly event.