Tuesday, June 24, 2025
79 ° Clear
79 ° Clear
Middletown Township’s annual Earth Day Festival returned to Core Creek Park on Sunday, April 27, after a one-day delay due to rain. The weather might have shifted plans slightly, but the community showed up in full force to celebrate environmental awareness, sustainability, and community engagement.
With an estimated 1,000 attendees over the course of three hours, the festival offered something for everyone, including live music, eco-friendly vendors, children’s activities, and even horse-drawn carriage rides through the park, a first for this event.
“We have a dedicated group of vendors each year, so we still ended up with about 40 vendors in attendance," said Patrick Graham, Assistant Director at Middletown Township Parks & Recreation. “We had a great turnout despite a very windy day.”
The festival, which has been a long-standing tradition in the community for over 20 years, was originally initiated by the Middletown Environmental Advisory Council (EAC), a group of community members passionate about local environmental issues. “This event started as an effort for local residents to come out and learn about environmental issues,” Graham explained. “Each year we invite a variety of vendors ranging from the nature centers of Bucks County, such as Silver Lake, Churchville, and Peace Valley, to businesses like PECO and Waste Management who share information about their energy efficiency programs with the public.
Vendors provided hands-on activities, information booths, and giveaways, such as tree saplings from Middletown's EAC—roughly 350 young trees given to attendees, which could one day grow up to 50 feet tall—and garden plant giveaways from the Falls Township EAC. “We want people to come to learn about their environment and how to be a good steward of the environment and the community,” Graham emphasized. “Whether it’s picking up trash in your neighborhood or at your local park, we want folks to leave with a better understanding of how they can make a difference.”
The festival also included family-friendly attractions such as an inflatable slide, balloon sculptures, caricature artists, and a stage with live performances. A local DJ emceed the day and coordinated sound for two live acts, including a bluegrass band and a children’s music performer.
Earth Day is a collaborative effort between Middletown Parks and Recreation, the Middletown EAC, and Bucks County Parks and Recreation. Graham also acknowledged the contributions of key partners like this year’s title sponsor, Robin Kemmerer Real Estate, and Pita Chip, who for the past few years has come to serve those folks participating in this event with food from their local restaurant.
Middletown’s EAC has seen a steady increase in community involvement through Earth Day and other initiatives. “Outside of this event, the EAC does trash cleanups at different parks throughout the township, and tree plantings twice a year,” Graham noted. “We have seen a consistent volunteer presence for their environmental initiatives.”
From saplings to sustainability, Middletown’s Earth Day Festival continues to inspire a growing commitment to environmental responsibility in the community, proving that even a windy spring afternoon can’t dampen the spirit of those working to protect our planet.
