Fair teaches youth about recycling

Children will learn how to turn a pine cone into a bird feeder and garden rubbish into mulch today at the second annual Youth Fair designed promote Earth Day.

"Earth Day is definitely important for all of the environmental reasons," said Joyce Lancaster, special events coordinator for Carson City Recreation Department, sponsor of the event. "The whole idea is for the kids to have a good time and still learn something about our planet and how to save it."

Earth Day does not fall until April 22, but the fair was scheduled for this weekend to avoid a conflict with Easter.

"We wanted to make sure kids would be available to do this," said Deborah Wiggins, environmental control officer. "It's a good idea for kids to see and learn things. Once they can see and learn, they can learn why they should recycle and can understand what can be made from recycled products."

Although the primary focus will be on the environment, Lancaster said it will not all be about Earth Day.

"We're covering a variety of things in this fair, which is why I didn't want to call it Earth Day," Lancaster said. "I wanted to include more things."

The fair will cover a variety of interests with 26 booths from different aspects of the community.

As part of the program, the Carson City Fire Department will host a bicycle rodeo.

Lancaster said the children will first be shown a video on bicycle safety, then they will go to Mills Park and learn about riding bicycles.

The sheriff's reserve will also be fingerprinting.

"We have a lot of kids that do that," Lancaster said. "There's usually a long line."

The Educator's Closet will have a booth to make craft items out of recycled goods. The program collects donated items such as books and pencils to supply teachers throughout the district.

"We're focusing on information on protecting the earth," Wiggins said. "It will be a nice event for everyone. There's lots of things to see and do for people of all ages."

The members of Carson City's DestiNation Imagination team, formerly Odyssey of the Mind, will present their skit and display their three-dimensional backdrop of a rain forest.

"I think it's really cool," said team member Jenae Wilkens, 13. "A lot of people from Carson City will see all the hard work we put into it.

"The rain forest represents how everything depends on each other. The rain forest is so much more valuable if you harvest the fruit and you don't just cut it down and burn it."

The skit will be performed at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Students from Carson Middle School will display their projects demonstrating alternative energy sources.

Wiggins said there will be plenty to interest everyone.

"We will give away free radon kits, GROW will be there to talk about landscaping the freeway, Smokey the Bear will be there," she said. "This is our second year of doing this and we hope it will be bigger than last year."