Sure Earth Day was a few weeks ago, but for those of you who believe that every day should be about the appreciation and awareness of our planet's environment then Clarksville, Ind. was the place for you Saturday.
That's because not only did the Falls of the Ohio State Park have its annual Earth Day celebration, there was also a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the latest addition to the Ohio River Greenway project.
The Earth Day party, which ran from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., featured ample outdoor booths dedicated to environmentally-minded organizations and businesses as well as free admission to the Falls' Interpretive Center.
Wanting to do our part and keep Mother Earth happy, as well as following the advice of some of the propaganda for the day, the wife and I biked the 1-mile or so from our house to the Falls.
Although it was an unseasonably cool morning it was a pleasant surprise to see the parking lot full, and a walking tour was beginning, when we arrived and de-biked around 11 a.m.
We made a quick breeze of the outdoor booths along the back of the Interpretive Center. In addition to the dogs from the local animal shelter that caught my daughter's eye, a couple of the booths made me take a second look. They included the ones involving the recycling of computer parts (because, who doesn't have an old monitor, keyboard, etc., gathering dust in your basement or attic?) and using a rain barrel to capture rain water for reuse (shouldn't we all be doing this?).
Inside we ran into Smokey the Bear, who my 17-month-old daughter was unsure of, and his friend the bug. We also caught a small portion of a magic show that was going on. In addition to the hocus pocus there was plenty to keep the kids involved, which is always good at things like this.
Later in the day the newest addition to the Ohio River Greenway Project, Clarksville Levee Trail, was officially opened.
The 1 1/2-mile segment of paved trail links the Falls of the Ohio Interpretive Center to the George Rogers Clark Cabin. It is just another section of the path that will eventually link Jeffersonville, Clarksville and New Albany, possibly as early as next year. And another part of the larger Greenway project that will connect cycling and walking trails on both sides of the Ohio River, via the K&I and Big Four bridges.
Photo courtesy Falls of the Ohio State Park
