Celebrate Earth Day at several different metro-east events
Happy Earth Day. The official day is April 22, but local events are scattered on either side of it.
We’ve rounded up a few to mark the day that has been celebrated since 1970, considered the birth of the modern environmental movement.
▪ Buy a plant. Southwestern Illinois College has its annual horticulture plant sale from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday in its greenhouses on the Belleville campus.
▪ Recycle a lawn mower. McKendree University has a Electronic Recycling event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday — get rid of a few things. Anything with a plug is accepted. Metal items such as lawn mowers, motors and metal office furniture are also accepted. Flat screen TVs and CRT computer monitors will be charged a $10 fee; TVs up to 24 inches are $20 and larger TVs cost $30 to get rid of. The recycling truck will be in a parking lot across the street from the softball field and beside the fitness center (Lot D).
▪ Party for the planet. Live entertainment, keeper chats and kids activities will be part of the fun at the St. Louis Zoo from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Turn in unwanted cellphones, accessories and handheld electronics.
▪ Solar power open house. See how Kevin and Peggy McKee use solar power in their home at 204 Collinsville Road, Troy. Drop by between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. They are solar ambassodors for Illinois Solar Energy Association.
▪ Think Global, Act STL. It’s the 27th annual St. Louis Earth Day Festival from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday on the Muny Grounds in Forest Park. Free family-friendly family and dog-friendly event that includes hands-on activities, information on sustainable products and services, entertainment and food. Take the Earth Day Challenge: Bring a reusable bag, a refillable water bottle and use low-impact transportation to get to Forest Park. Visitors who accomplish two of the three challenges receive an eco-friendly prize by visiting the St. Louis Earth Day Challenge booth.
Lindenwood’s wayward saints
Nine students from near and far will perform in “A Company of Wayward Saints,” this weekend at Lindenwood University-Belleville.
“It’s big, bold and laugh-out-loud fun,” said Marsha Parker, director and theater professor. “The second act is more reserved.”
The comedic style of the first act includes performers in masks hitting people with foam bats and kicking them in the pants.
“It’s a contemporary play written (by George Herman) in the ’60s, but kind of timeless,” she said. “It teaches lessons, but it’s a fun play to do.”
Here’s how the story unfolds: A troupe of players traveling in a wagon end up in Belleville. Desperate because they need a patron, they find a duke who will pay for them to go home if they perform a work of his choosing. He chooses the history of man. They set about trying to perform the play he wants to see.
No wonder one of the characters says, “The running time will be incredible.”
“As it turns out, running time is about two hours and includes an intermission,” sahd Marsha.
Sebastian Wegner, who hails from Dresden, Germany, plays principle character Harlequin. Paraguay and France are represented in the cast along with talented locals. The actors are: Bryan Gorman, of Godfrey; Jon Arenas, of Zion; Stephen Dunn, born in Pordenone, Italy, now of O’Fallon; Jordan-John Cameron, of St. Louis; Cynthia Martinez, of Asuncion, Paraguay; Nicolas Bourgeais, of Nantes, France; and Kaycee Warner, originally from Tacoma, Wash., but living with her family in New Athens.
Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.
General admission is $10; $5 for students and seniors. To reserve tickets, call the box office toll free at 844-843-5969.
This story was originally published April 21, 2016 at 4:41 AM with the headline "Celebrate Earth Day at several different metro-east events."