Charlotte Boncella, Sam Elis and Will O’Boyle, AmeriCorps members with Potomac Valley Audubon Society, clear invasive plants from Town Run on Saturday. Tom Markland
SHEPHERDSTOWN – The Shepherdstown Community Club revived an old tradition for the town on Saturday, hosting an Earth Day celebration at Morgan’s Grove Park.
Last hosted in the early 2010s, the event brought together local vendors artisans, environmental groups and members of the community to raise money for a good cause. Visitors enjoyed food and drinks from local vendors like the Bavarian Inn, as well as music from local musicians like Eastern Regional Jam.
“We wanted to bring it back for the community and to raise some much-needed revenue for the park and for the War Memorial Building,” said Carrie Blessing, vice president of the Shepherdstown Community Club. “Part of it is bringing all these folks together, giving everybody an opportunity to see what’s going on and who’s in the neighborhood, but also to raise those needed funds.”
Proceeds from the event will go to Shepherdstown Community Club to support the maintenance of both Morgan’s Grove Park and the War Memorial Building in Shepherdstown.
“Managing historic buildings and managing a 26-acre park takes a lot of resources,” Blessing said. “We’re a community club, so that’s what we do. It’s going back to taking care of those resources so that they’re there for future generations to enjoy.”
According to Blessing, the War Memorial Building especially needs an increase in funding, as the historic building will have its roof replaced soon.
Many groups set up stations with activities for kids to learn about the environment, like the Cacapon Institute, which ran a pinball machine with a built-in lesson on how pollution gets into and affects rivers.
The Potomac Valley Audubon Society not only held an informational station, but AmeriCorps volunteers with the organization got their feet wet removing invasive plants from Town Run, which flows through the park.
The volunteers focused on an invasive plant known as “Parrot’s Feathers,” an aquatic plant frequently used in fish tanks or aquatic gardens.
If it’s dumped out of a tank and allowed to grow in calm bodies of water, it can severely restrict water flow downstream.
“It only takes one person to dump a tank, and it spreads like crazy,” said AmeriCorps member Charlotte Boncella.
The Potomac Valley Audubon Society organized the cleanup alongside the Earth Day event. According to Blessing, they have hosted cleanups for the stream several times over the past year.
“It’s so important for the stream ecology, for the health of the stream,” Blessing said. “We are so lucky because we have so many organizations in this area that they really care, and we’re all working together to the same thing.”
According to Blessing, plans are for the Earth Day celebration to be an annual event, returning every April, despite the risk for poor weather.
“I’m glad the rain stopped because, you know, there’s a lot of people here,” Blessing said. “It’s a good crowd.”
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