GAMBIER, Ohio — Hundreds of people are expected to visit Kenyon College’s Brown Family Environmental Center (BFEC) on Saturday, April 19, to celebrate Earth Day as part of a free, family-friendly event.
The annual “Keep It Wild” festival is open to the public and will include games and activities, food trucks, live music and environmentally-focused vendors and organizations. It will take place from noon to 4 p.m. at 9781 Laymon Road in Gambier.
Among the attractions will be all sorts of interesting creatures, including nocturnal mammals from Ohio Nature Education and birds of prey from Ohio Bird Sanctuary. The Ohio State University’s United Titanium Bug Zoo will be on hand, as well, with live insects and other arthropods.
Guests who bring a rock from home are invited to try and “Stump the Scientist” in a new activity featuring Eric Holdener, an assistant professor at Kenyon who will be identifying rocks and sharing some geologic information.
For those who are interested in learning how to be more environmentally conscious, numerous organizations and vendors will be on site at the BFEC, a 700-acre preserve celebrating its 30th year. Knox County Public Health and the Philander Chase Conservancy will be present, as well as SPI, Natives in Harmony, an activity trailer from Knox Soil and Water Conservation District, and many others.
Live entertainment will be provided by the Kenyon Pep Band; the Twin Oaks Elementary School choir from Mount Vernon; Matt Baugher; and Kenyon students Elias Kradel, Class of 2028, and Aiden Puntes, Class of 2026. Two food trucks — Empanadas and More, and Pitabilities — will offer a variety of different foods for sale.
The goal, according to BFEC Post-Baccalaureate Fellow Jada Swearingen, a member of Kenyon’s Class of 2024, is to have something that appeals to everyone.
“Just go out into nature and reconnect with the beauties that Mother Nature can offer,” she said. “There’s an activity for everybody.”
Download images from a past "Keep It Wild" festival of people chatting with vendors and family-friendly activities; images also are available of Kenyon College.