Festival will teach about environment

By Lori O'Brien

Correspondent

CHICOPEE The Chicopee Public Library and the city's Conservation Commission are co-sponsoring an environmental festival on May 6 that will provide educational and fun activities for area residents on the importance of helping the planet.

Billed as "Greenfest," the free event is planned from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the main library on Front Street.

"It is a fun way to learn about the environment," said Sylvia Horton, young adult specialist at the Chicopee Public Library during an interview with Reminder Publications.

Horton added that all the participants care deeply about the environment and want to share their knowledge and enthusiasm about conservation with others.

There will be a host of programming for geared toward young people including an exhibit of live turtles by Massachusetts Turtle Rescue Inc. In addition, the city's Conservation Commission will provide a wide variety of aquatic insects to view, Carl Piela will have butterflies from the Amazon to showcase and Robert Kidd's "skulls and scat" of the mammals of Massachusetts will be on display, according to Horton.

As an added treat for youngsters, teens will provide free face painting and temporary tattoos throughout the day.

One exhibit specifically geared toward Chicopee residents will be the plan for the "Greening of Chicopee." The Chicopee Planning and Conservation departments are working with graduate students in the landscape architecture program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst on a greening plan and attendees will see firsthand how the endeavor is progressing.

Students participating in the Chicopee Reach program will be displaying a recently completed wetland project, and the seventh grade science class from St. Joan/St. George School will display an Atlantic salmon egg-rearing project.

Key Club students from Chicopee High and Chicopee Comprehensive have worked collaboratively with the Chicopee River Watershed Council, Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) Water Watch and the Springfield Department of Public Works, to clean up six tons of trash from watersheds in Springfield. Horton explained that now area residents are needed to help clean up the Chicopee part of the watershed. STCC students will be on hand to show what still needs to be done and try to interest area residents to sign up to help clean up those areas.

Representatives from the Silvio Conte National Wildlife Refuge will also be on hand to provide information regarding an upcoming project in the Chicopee River to remove invasive Japanese knotweed which is threatening native plant species.

For adults searching for alternative fuel sources for one's car, Jeff Skelski's S10 truck should also be a hit since he converted it to run on electricity, and a "Grease Car" will be featured that runs on used vegetable oil. Videos will run continuously on how the conversions were done, according to Horton.

Nature photographer John Greene will present a slide show of his photographs on the natural history of Massachusetts in the library's conference room from noon to 1 p.m.

The day's events culminate at 2 p.m. in the amphitheater with an hour performance by Strike A Chord, a local a cappella group.

"We're a group of people who just love to sing," said Nate Luscombe of Springfield, spokesperson for Strike A Chord.

Luscombe said the group will perform a variety of traditional and contemporary songs, ranging from "Blackbird" by the Beatles and "Faith" by George Michael to "Change the World" by Eric Clapton and "Somewhere" from West Side Story.

"When you can put a smile on your face, and the faces of the people you sing with, you've got something special," said Luscombe. "Our goal is that we are able to put smiles on the faces of people who show up to see us."

Strike A Chord members were originally known as the Springfield College Singers who loved to go bowling as a group after rehearsing,, according to Luscombe.

The name Strike A Chord derived from that love for the camaraderie of bowling, he added.

"Our 'uniforms' are bowling shirts," said Luscombe.

Strike A Chord members are Cathy Schane-Lydon, director, and Mark Schane-Lydon, both of Great Barrington; Erin Finkle, Jenn Dziok, Dan Spedding, Doug Sham and Luscombe, all of Springfield; Tor Somlo of Great Barrington; Adam Salomon of New Haven, Conn.; Nasithy Kry of Chicopee; Natalie Goodale of Princeton; Beth Domanoski of Troy, N.Y., and Jen Phaneuf of Bennington, Vt.

From musical inspiration to lectures and exhibitions, "Greenfest" promises fun and education for all ages. For more information on the event, contact Horton or Tracey Kry at the Chicopee Public Library, 594-1800.