News

‘Earth Day Celebration’ Back at Great Bend Zoo on April 26

Businesses and Organizations Encouraged to Sign Up

Great Bend Earth Day Celebration is back for its fourth consecutive year. Great Bend Zoo, Rosewood ECycle and Great Bend Dairy Queen have scheduled the annual event for April 26 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo.

Businesses, organizations and food vendors are encouraged to participate in the community celebration by contacting Great Bend Zoo Director Ashley Burdick at 620-793-4226, or e-mail her at zoocurator@greatbendks.net. There is no charge to participate as a vendor. The deadline for booth sign-up is April 1. Great Bend Zoo can supply tables for vendor booths. In case of inclement weather, the staff will also offer indoor vendor space.

The come-and-go event is geared toward children, but all family members are welcome to participate. Great Bend Dairy Queen will issue a coupon for a free small ice cream cone to the first 500 youth participants that day. In addition, there will be giveaways to the first 500 children in attendance.

“We’re excited to bring this event back and build on our successes over the past three years,” said Burdick. “Four years into putting forward this effort, I feel like our primary education mission and message at the Zoo – to teach conservation and conserving the wild spaces for animals – is getting out there. We’re figuring out fun ways to educate people, and hopefully those ways are making a positive difference in people’s daily lives and in our community.”

Despite the winter weather during last year’s event, Great Bend Earth Day Celebration was well attended with more than 650 participants. That’s far less than the record 1,600 people who participated in the inaugural event held three years ago. That year, attendance was spurred by nice weather, combined with Smoky Hills PBS providing an appearance by Curious George, who met and mingled with children. Clifford The Big Red Dog and Smoky Hills PBS, along with Bart the Cougar were in attendance last year, but cold weather kept attendance down.

Still, a record number of 11 vendors participated in last year’s event, providing diverse and interactive experiences for participants. Burdick said most of last year’s vendors have shown an interest in returning, as they recognize the valuable opportunity to be part of the event.

“I feel like we’ve been successful in getting people exposed to different businesses and organizations who are active with green efforts in our community,” explained Burdick. “As well, I feel like businesses and organizations greatly benefit by having an opportunity to get their messages out to so many people in a fun environment.”

Great Bend Earth Day Celebration occurs a few days after the official 55th anniversary of Earth Day, which is recognized as the planet’s largest annual civic event. The national day is celebrated each year on April 22. Events are coordinated globally to the impact of 1 billion people celebrating the day in more than 190 countries. The official theme for this year’s Earth Day is “Our Power, Our Planet.”

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Click on link for Great Bend Earth Day Celebration flier, http://rosewoodservices.com/assets/files/GBEDC-Flier1-25.pdf

For more information, contact Ashley Burdick, Great Bend Zoo Director, zoocurator@greatbendks.net, 620-793-4226

January 29, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Story by: Michael Dawes, director of PR, Rosewood Services, 620-792-2536, MichaelD@rosewoodservices.com