The festival is in Sherman at the Sherman Municipal Building and grounds, now known as Lucy Kidd-Key Park.

The festival features workshops, children’s activities, music and other entertainment, displays, demonstrations, vendors, and a wide variety of recycling opportunities.

This year, we will offer workshops on solar energy, creating a monarch way station, selecting the best electric energy provider for your specific needs, and hands-on vermiculture composting using red wriggler worms. Workshops will be in the kitchen of the Municipal Ballroom.

At 10:00 a.m., Justin Jennings of North Texas Energy Partners will give guidance on selecting the best electric energy provider, specific to your needs. There are factors to consider, including the amount of electricity your home or business consumes and whether you need or will need energy credits for electricity you produce. North Texas Energy Partners is an energy brokerage company.

At 11:30 a.m., Master Naturalist and local expert on establishing Monarch Waystations Linn Cates will provide a workshop on establishing habitats for Monarch butterflies. She will provide lists of appropriate plants suitable for planting in north Texas that will attract and sustain Monarchs while they are on their migration path. The Texoma Earth Day Festival will also provide free milkweed seeds that are on the approved list.

At 1:00 p.m., Justin Jennings will return to provide a workshop on solar energy. Justin is director of Angel Ridge Enterprises, a local solar energy provider. He will educate us about the advances in the technology so we can make educated decisions about solar energy.

Michelle Haynes of Rusty Dog Ranch will provide a workshop on vermicomposting, beginning at 2:30 p.m.

Vermicomposting is a composting method in which worms convert food scraps into an amazing garden amendment. Michelle will demonstrate how to build a simple vermicompost bin or bag. Bring your own plastic bin or large, plastic pet food bag and you can create your own composter at the class! (This is an effective use for a damaged/cracked storage bin, although the bin should not be clear.) This class is appropriate for anyone who wants to boost their gardens with the power of worm compost, or anyone who wants to divert their food waste from the landfill.

Children’s activities will be between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. and will be provided by Magician John Allen, CircleTree Community School, Grayson College, Grayson County 4-H, and the Texoma Earth Day Festival. John Allen provides a traveling magic act. He will be found in the ballroom but will also circulate around the grounds to engage children in his joy of magic tricks. CircleTree Community School will teach children how to make their own scratch boards so they can reveal colorful designs by scratching through a light surface of quick drying paint.

Grayson College Art Department will be in the ballroom. Their activities tend to feature using recyclable materials to create art. While you are in the ballroom, make sure you draw and color a flower to add to the Earth Day Festival Community Flower Vase. Our board with vase will be displayed, and all the materials you need (markers, colored pencils, crayons, and scissors) will be supplied. Flowers will be attached to the board using double-stick tape.

Grayson County 4-H Youth Development program provides opportunities for children grades K-12 to learn a wide variety of life skills. At their booth, children will create decorative items to enhance their homes or gardens. A fun addition to the Children’s Activity area, Austin College Entomology students will provide a display of their research of insects between 9:00 am and noon. This will be interesting to children and adults, so make sure you visit the ballroom during those hours. 

The Entertainment lineup includes Keepers of the Sound of God (the church band at Greater Harvest Church North in Sherman), Red River Valley Dulcimer Club, BJ Spencer, Legend Marshal Arts, Canyon Creek Players, the Children’s Chorus of Greater North Texas, and Texoma Strength. Keepers of the Sound of God play gospel and Dixieland jazz and recently performed in the Freedom Riders Parade in Denison.

Red River Valley Dulcimer Club provides opportunities for dulcimer enthusiasts to meet and share ideas and information, learn new music, and just have a good time jammin’. They plan to have their monthly meeting at their booth during the festival.

BJ Spencer is a talented local speaker, musician, and singer who uses personal story and music to help others overcome depression and anxiety and find peace in their daily lives.

Denison’s Legend Marshal Arts teaches Taekwondo, Tai Chi and Krav Mega. The martial arts school also offers anti-bully classes for kids and self-defense classed for women.

Canyon Creek Players is a newly formed band featuring Gil Nelson, on baritone ukulele and vocals, William Breithaupt on African drum and Dennis Graham on electric guitar and vocals. They perform music from the 1950s to the 1980s, as well as obscure and original songs.

Children’s Chorus of Greater North Texas, under the leadership of Heidi Scheibmeir, exists to provide an opportunity for those who love to sing to develop their talent and share it with the community. They perform for community events as often as they can.

Texoma Strength is a strength gym in Pottsboro owned by Marc Dalke and Erik Bevill. They are passionate about helping members improve their strength and health and will demonstrate a variety of feats of strength, including deadlifting 1000 pounds.

We are especially excited to welcome back Trashion VII, a trash fashion show sponsored by the Grayson College Art Department. Trashion always provides a fun display of creativity, as entrants walk the runway in their costumes made of recycled and upcycled materials. Anyone who wishes to enter can find the registration form on our website or register in the Municipal Ballroom before the 3:00 p.m. show starts.

Vendors will provide valuable information about their services and sell handmade goods and art.

We will offer a wide range of recycling opportunities. All the recycling will take place on North Elm Street adjacent to Kidd-Key Auditorium and Lucy Kidd-Key Park (the Sherman Municipal Grounds).

A public shredding event sponsored by First United Bank will be in front of Kidd-Key Auditorium from 9:00 a.m. until noon. This service is free to individuals and is intended for sensitive documents. Other papers and cardboard need to be recycled in the containers provided on site.

Texoma Council of Governments (TCOG) will provide a latex paint collection during the event. They will accept latex paint in one gallon and five-gallon containers. The paint can be in any condition, but the containers must be sealed and dry on the exterior. No oil-based paints, stains or varnishes will be collected. Those need to be kept at home for the next Household Hazardous Waste collection, and you can even register to participate in a May HHW event at the TCOG booth.

Keystone Enterprises will be on hand to collect electronic waste, which includes anything a current ran through. The full list of materials they accept is on the website in the recycling section. They do not accept tube televisions or monitors.

We will have containers on site for the following materials: cardboard of any kind (flattened, clean and dry), plastics 1, 2 & 5, tin and aluminum food and drink cans, Styrofoam (soft foam will not be accepted), paper (newspaper, office paper, junk mail, catalogs, phone books, magazines are accepted.

Foiled paper wrapping paper and food cartons cannot be recycled), and plastic bags (including shrink film, dry cleaner bags, grocery bags and bubble wrap. Food bags will not be accepted). All materials must be clean and dry.

Make sure you stop by the Information Booth to pick up a free shopping bag and copy of our updated Recycling Guide for North Texas and Southern Oklahoma. Our guide includes all the recyclable materials accepted in curbside programs and drop off recycling centers in the region, as well as retailers that accept items for recycling or donation. These items will be available to the first 500 people who visit the Information Booth.

Details of the festival can be found on our website and Facebook page. www.earthdaytexoma.org and Texoma Earth Day Festival on Facebook.