Family and friends enjoy warm weather, activities during Earth Day celebration at Baker Park

Dozens of families and friends basked in the sun and breeze at Baker Park on Saturday afternoon, some walking around booths set up in the park or sitting in the grass.

The city of Frederick’s Department of Parks and Recreation hosted an Earth Day Celebration at the park. It featured live music, food trucks and several tables where local organizations and businesses handed out educational resources, sold products and had various activities.

The Earth Day Celebration accompanied a Spring Open House inside the William R. Talley Recreation Center, where attendees learned about programs and could participate in a trial fitness class.

Some of the organizations and businesses tabling outside in the park included Mobilize Frederick, Ecoplantia, the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin (ICPRB), the Frederick County Beekeeping Association and the Frederick County Food Council.

Elise Selckmann attended the Earth Day Celebration with her two children to support her husband, who was leading an activity for ICPRB on macroinvertebrates.

The organization’s mission is to protect the Potomac River Basin “through science, regional cooperation, and education,” according to its website.

“It seems like it’s really great for the community,” Selckmann said. “It’s been fun to walk around and see what’s going on.”

Other attendees also came to the celebration to support friends running the booths and due to their own interest in the environment.

Ricardo Sandoval and Emma Prince, students at Hood College studying environmental science and policy, came to support Sandoval’s girlfriend.

Sandoval said he liked getting to learn about bees from the Frederick County Beekeeping Association and talking to one of the vendors about native plants, since he enjoys gardening with them.

Prince said the Beekeeping Association’s table was interesting, as well as ICPRB’s table. There was also a calf at the park that attendees could pet, which both Prince and Sandoval enjoyed.

“I think Earth Day is definitely a thing that we should all be supporting, and I’m really glad that the city is doing an event here,” Sandoval said.

Prince said the event is a nice way to educate people and get them involved in sustainable activities.

Autumn Bozzo, a beekeeper with the Frederick County Beekeeping Association, said there was a good turnout at the event and the association’s table.

The organization set up observation hives, so people could watch the bees. It also handed out resources on topics like how to help with pollination.

“[The event] is great for raising awareness and encouraging it for the community, too,” Bozzo said. “Everybody’s here and able to tell you from their viewpoint on what you can do to make a whole neighborhood and county better for all of us.”