Eco-Fair Returns to Bridgewater

The Bridgewater Environmental Commission’s eco-blast fair is returning for the third year in a row to celebrate being green.

The free event, sponsored by the commission and the Sustainability Task Force, will be held May 4 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Kid Street Park at the municipal building on Commons Way.

In addition to food and live music, the event will feature interactive displays, sustainable workshops and vendor exhibits. There will be child-friendly craft projects and information about being environmental and sustainable.

The event will include birdhouse painting for the kids, courtesy of D2A Architecture and Design, Home Depot and JV Franco AIA Associates. Children will also have the opportunity to plant a seedling to take home.

There will also be a rain barrel workshop to learn how to capture storm water runoff and use it for gardening and other purposes.

Entertainment will be provided by TLB Trio, Off the Grid and the Graduates, plus guests can play the Roots and Shoots Environmental Game Show and hang out with Gizmo D. Robot.

Food will be provided by Red Lobster, Starbucks, Rita's Italian Ice, Chipotle Grille, Applebee's, Hoagie Hut and Smokehouse BBQ.

Exhibitors will include Sustainable Bridgewater, Somerset County Recycling, RideWise of Raritan Valley, Somerset County Library, New Jersey Bee Keepers Association, Royal Chevrolet, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, Melick's Farm, Somerset County Park Rangers, Somerset County 4-H, Terra Cycle, Native Plant Society of NJ, Ethicon, Pfizer and Bridgewater Patch.

Also at the event, residents are being asked to donate their gently worn shoes to Soles4Souls Inc., which has committed to distributing 13 million shoes in 2013 to people living in extreme poverty and recovering from natural disasters.

The Bridgewater Township Sustainability Task Force will be collecting shoes to donate through the program at the fair.