Youth environmental festival date set
by Chris Klein
he first annual Youth Earth Savers Festival, YES!Fest
'94, will be held this October at Crown Point in Mission Beach. Presented
by San Diego Earth Day, this free event is oriented toward San Diego area
students aged five to 18. Yes!Fest will feature displays, games, entertainment
and hands-on activities - all with an environmental message.
"We're putting a special emphasis on games and
activities," said Kari Gray, event coordinator. "Young people
are more interested in doing things than reading things."
More than 50 organizations, exhibitors and performers
are expected to participate in YES!Fest '94. There will be special areas
for different age groups and two stages for entertainments, including "game
shows" where contestants can win prizes for themselves and their schools.
YES!Fest is similar in concept to the Kids Area at SDED's
annual EarthFair, held each April in Balboa Park. However, YES!Fest will
provide a greater focus on educational activities.
"The Kids Area [at EarthFair] is always really
popular, but is more of a grab bag of exhibitors," explains Gray. "At
YES!Fest, we will have a much more developed program of activities, with
age-specific events. Also, exhibitors who normally display in the "adult"
areas at EarthFair - groups like the [San Diego] Department of Environmental
Services, SDG&E and the [California] Department of Conservation - will
have a chance to present programs specifically for young people."
The YES!Fest site in Crown Point Shores at the north
end of Mission Bay is adjacent to Kendall-Frost Nature Preserve, one of
the few remaining natural areas on the bay. The San Diego Audubon Society
and coastal Park Ranger will be hosting guided walks of the Crown Point
ecosystem.
YES!Fest will be held on October 23 from 10am to 4pm.
It will be located at the eastern end of Crown Point Shores, off Crown Point
Drive just east of Ingraham.
Like all San Diego Earth Day events, the YES!Fest is
being organized and produced by volunteers. If you would like more information
about volunteering - or are interested in exhibiting or sponsoring an event
- please call Kari Gary at (619) 272-7370 and say YES!
