Residents of Boyertown gathered in Boyertown Community Park Saturday for Earthfest 2017, the annual event to celebrate plants, trees and mother nature.
This years Earthfest included a flea market, 24ft rock wall and live animal demonstrations from the Leigh Valley Zoo.
During all of the festivities, a representative from Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) recognized Building A Better Boyertown for their ongoing environmental efforts.
For their commitment to urban forestry Boyertown was recognized as a Tree City USA community by the Arbor Day Foundation with a 10th anniversary commemorative flag and street sign.
To qualify to be a Tree City USA recipient, communities must have a Tree Board or Department, Tree Care Ordinance and a Community Forestry Program With an Annual Budget of at Least $2 Per Capita.
Earthfest also had a special guest waiting to be revealed. Boyertown’s Parks and Recreations Department unveiled a new “Boyertown Bear” statue aptly named “Parker”.
Located at the entrance of Boyertown Community Park, “Parker” greets visitors with a hat and small picnic basket.
In addition to the the unveiling of “Parker” the bear Boyertown Main Street Manager Adrianne Blank also announced the winners of the annual Tree Photo Contest. First place was awarded to Hannah Ziegler, student at Boyertown High School for her photo of a Flowering Pear Tree.
“The purpose of the photo contest is to educate students about local trees and their value”, said Blank.
After hearing about the photo contest in here biology class Hannah searched Boyetown for the perfect tree, eventually finding the Flowering Pear Tree on Schaefer Street. For winning first place Hannah won a $100 provided by Tompkins VIST Bank.
