Staff writer
The annual EnviroFest for Marion County fourth graders will be Oct. 2 at Marion Central Park. For the past five years, the event has taught students from county school districts about environmental issues and how to protect it.
Students from Marion, Hillsboro, Peabody, Cottonwood Grove Christian, and home school students will participate this year.
EnviroFest begins with 20-minute informational sessions from 9:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Students are asked to bring a sack lunch.
Sessions will include talks by a forester, a watershed demonstration, and stream and soil trailers. A dairy parlor demonstration will be held after lunch. Ice cream will be given to students during the presentation.
“EnviroFest was founded to fill curriculum guidelines set by the state,” said organizer Peggy Blackman, Marion Reservoir Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) director. “The program used to be around Earth Day, but we decided to move it after having to constantly reschedule due to inclement weather.”