EARTH Center Garden, Arts, and Music Festival  Offers Fun for the Whole Family

 Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Middlesex County will host its EARTH Center Garden, Arts and Music Festival from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, August 20 at the EARTH Center, located in Davidson’s Mill Pond Park at 42 Riva Ave, South Brunswick. (the event is rain or shine)

The day will be filled with family-oriented activities, live arts displays, and local musical acts.
Activities for the kids will include a Scavenger Hunt, “The Recycling Magician”, a 4-H Small Animal Club and their furry friends; and “paint a pot” activity.
There will also be a limited supply of garden plants to be given away.

Throughout the afternoon, Rutgers Master Gardeners and Environmental Stewards will offer advice on horticulture and stewardship while guiding visitors through various teaching gardens and learning projects. Examples of their work include: a children’s garden, vegetable display garden and the popular butterfly house. Mini lectures on horticultural topics and culinary techniques will also be offered.

Visitors can also get a close look at the Rows for the Hungry Project which in recent years has grown and donated close to 30 tons of fresh, first quality produce to local food banks in Middlesex County. The scale and precision of this operation is sure to inspire community minded residents to join their volunteer efforts.  

Join the “Greatest of the Garden” competition, by bringing the homegrown produce you are most proud of; categories may include: Largest Tomato, Largest Zucchini, Strangest Heirloom, Biggest Sunflower Bloom and Best Likeness to a Celebrity or Historical Figure.

The Arts Institute of Middlesex County will also offer a Share Your Foodways kitchen demonstration where Chef Carolina Moratti will prepare delicious dishes with the bounty of the season.  A food truck will be available onsite, but carried in picnic lunches are also welcome.

Attendees are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item as a donation to REPLENISH, Middlesex County’s food bank program.

Davidson’s Mill Pond Park is also one of the County’s most beautiful passive recreation parks with hiking/biking trails and several locations suitable for fishing.

This event is a great opportunity for residents to acquaint themselves with the programs Middlesex County’s office of Rutgers Cooperative Extension has to offer.

For more information, please call 732-398-5268 or e-mail  david.smela@co.middlesex.nj.us. 

Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Middlesex County educational programs are offered to all without regard to race, religion, color, age, national origin, gender.