HAWLEY, PA — The Downtown Hawley Partnership and The Pike/Wayne Conservation Partnership organized the second annual Hawley Earth Fest on the Earth Day weekend April 24 to 26. The main activities took place in Bingham Park on Saturday, where visitors came dressed up in their favorite animal or plant costumes to take place in the Species Parade. Sunday was reserved for visitors to explore the many trails in the area on their own.

Activities included mask making at Hawley Library, and there was a last-minute costume station near the park on the morning of the parade. Face painting was offered by the Wallenpaupack Art Club.

Organizer Jenna Mauder, an educator at the Lacawac Sanctuary and Field Station, said 35 people took part in the parade. “We hope the event continues to grow. We’d love for this Earth Day celebration to one day shut down Main Street in Hawley for a big parade. We encourage Scouts and youth groups to create large, non-motorized “floats,” she said.

She said, “Hawley’s Bingham Park is a great place to hold this event.” She said the overall atmosphere was festive, with baseball and softball games, and playing in the CJR Memorial Playground. Many got excited seeing live raptors, Mauder said. “A porcupine even did somersaults!”

Participation in the parade was free.

This year’s top three winners in the sponsored costume contest received one of the following packages: a $50 gift certificate to Ehrhardt’s Waterfront and a family pass to Close Encounter with Live Birds of Prey, hosted by Lacawac Sanctuary; a dinner and a show at Woodloch Resort and two seats on Delaware Highlands Conservancy’s eagle-viewing bus trip; a one-night stay at the Ledges Hotel, and a family pass to the Audubon Society’s environmental craft festival.

Other kids took home Costa’s Family Fun Park passes and a free ice cream coupon to Joe and Lorenzo’s Pizza.

Mauder said, “We hope families enjoy the outdoors. Winters are long in Northeast Pennsylvania and this event comes just in time to kick off the last quarter of the school year before summer.”