Earth Day celebrations kick-off Saturday April 26 at 11am at Troy Field in downtown Bend. It starts an hour earlier this year because there won’t be a parade. Priscilla Calleros, the event manager at The Environmental Center which sponsors the celebration, says several factors led to the decision to cut the parade. A letter posted on the center’s website blames drastic increases in the City of Bend’s permit fees; difficulty securing enough volunteers and drivers angry about road closures. There is an opportunity to show off costumes though. The event will have an interactive puppet show led by Teafly and the Earth Guardians which will include a runway for people in nature costumes to help illustrate the story. Calleros says the puppet show will be in English, Spanish and ASL.
There will be plenty of music to enjoy including Mayan drumming accompanied by Aztec dancers. A group from the Redmond area called Hokule’a will perform the hula to rhythmic beats of Tahiti. Saturday afternoon will feature a community singalong with Kira Seto.
The fair will also have an activity zone for kids, garden activities, free face painting, food and other vendors. Part of NW Kansas Avenue will be closed from NW Bond Street to NW Lava Road.
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Calleros says staff at The Environmental Center feel it’s a privilege to put on the Earth Day celebration in the wake of the cancellation of three other community events celebrating culture and identities. She says, in the past, The Center has supported The Father’s Group’s Juneteenth celebration; Central Oregon Community College’s Latinx Fiesta Celebration and the Central Oregon Latino Fest in Madras, all of which were canceled citing safety concerns. Calleros says The Environmental Center has a safety plan in place and hopes the public will come to the Earth Day celebration to show solidarity.
This article appears in Source Weekly April 17, 2025.
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