Schools attended the 2023 Hug The Earth event ahead of the weekend event held for the public at the Miami County Park District’s Lost Creek Reserve on state Route 41 in Troy. Pictured from last year’s event is Milton-Union Elementary School’s 2022-23 third grade students Claire Ely, daughter of Breanna and Brian Ely, left to right, studies a rocks as mother/volunteer Emily Geloff and Miami County Park District Naturalist Ann Horvath watch Dezzy Metcalf (in a two-tone blue coat), daughter of Megan Knoff and Chad Metcalf, Alice Geloff, daughter of Emily and Justin Geloff, and Annora Delaplane, daughter of Jennifer Delaplane and Wes Monnin, all of Victoria Hicks’ class.
Sheryl Roadcap | Miami Valley Today
By Kathleen Leese
For Miami Valley Today
TROY — The Hug the Earth Festival, held on or near Earth Day at the Miami County Park District’s Lost Creek Reserve in Troy, is set for Saturday, April 20. This annual event is free to attend and is open to the public.
The festival, held from 12 noon to 5 p.m., will include a kids’ show at 12:15 p.m. and 3 p.m. and other activities that will run until 5 p.m. There will be various food and retail items available for purchase. The Lost Creek Reserve is located at 2385 E. State Route 41.
Janeen Selanders, executive coordinator of Miami County Park District, said, “We look forward to seeing everyone at the Hug the Earth Festival … I’m sure there will be many smiling faces and lots of outdoor adventures! Remember, play is the highest form of discovery, so we hope to see kids of all ages playing and having fun!”
Among the activities planned are special performances by the Banana Slug String Band as well as Banana Slugs and Five Rivers Wildlife at 3 p.m.
There will also be a wide variety of activities including rocket shoot, whirling worlds, archery, a climbing wall, slack line, tree climbing and zipline. Additionally, there will be fairy/gnome homes and stick forts, a natural play area, storybook trail and superhero trail. There will also be a corn pit, straw jump, toys from trees, pet rock painting and stones and bones dig.
Other activities include a caterpillar train ride, conservation booths and face painting. There will also be a mobile aquarium and nature art.
Festival-goers will have the chance to learn about bees, visit the butterfly house, do some candle dipping, visit farm animals, and “It’s a Bugs’s World” as well as learn about seed bombs and various wildlife.
For those with babies, there will be a lullaby lounge for baby care.
Food that will be available for purchase includes vendors: Cumberland Kettle Corn, Kona Ice, Susie’s Big Dipper and U Wanna Pizza Me.
“We hope the engaging outdoor experiences at the Hug the Earth festival will strengthen visitors’ connection with nature. This fits perfectly with the spirit of Earth Day as we naturally preserve what we value,” said Amanda Smith, Miami County Park District marketing administrator.
The week following the annual public festival will be all about the schools. Various Miami County schools will be bused out to the reserve between Tuesday, April 23, through Friday, April 26, for students from kindergarten through fifth-grade to learn about the Earth. Home schooled students will also be present for the event.
The sponsors making this year’s event possible are Emerson Climate Technologies, The Troy Foundation, KSM Metal Fabrication, Ohio Aggregates and Industrial Minerals Association, Pepcon & Poeppelman Materials Company, Miami County Park District, The Caroline, Troy Fish and Game Club, El Sombrero, Smith’s Boathouse, Covington Fraternal Order of Eagles 3998, Conagra Brands, Comfort Suites Troy and Chipotle.
Lost Creek Reserve offers 457 acres of landscape and 5.75 miles of trails for those who enjoy hiking. Miami County Park District offers frequent programs for the public at their many parks.
The writer is a regular contributor to Miami Valley Today.
Sheryl Roadcap contributed to this story.
