One of my favorite parts of the truly wonderful day was hearing 55 children describe how beavers can help and watching inspiring scouts help each child to chose their very own beaver from the collection. I’m going to do what I can to show you how adorable it was. But these photos are just the beginning.
What a day! Good crowd, amazing people, smart children, the beaver givewaway was ADORABLE and the salmon mystery was perfect. I am still too tired to type and tell you all about it. I will just post these.
Showtime!
Everything delivered and things ready for the big day. Amy worked all day yesterday on her mistresspiece an the plan is to finish everything and the beaver last. You can already see where he’d fit.
Film crusader Cristina Valverde came yesterday to interview for a beaver project she’s working on and then got inspired by Amy’s art and used Jon’s ladder to stopmotion the entire day from atop a lamp post. That’s going to be cool to see when it’s completed.
I just recorded the beginning.
If you want to see the end, solve the mystery of the missing salmon, and find out who wins all those stuffed beavers, you better come to the festival yourself.
It’s a dam good time.
Hey want to know a funny funny joke? The second shipment of beaver shirts was going to be shipped to us this weekend and when they weren’t I called to investigate and was told they were “LOST”. I guess stuck on the Ever Given in a canal somewhere. So I filed a claim which means UPS has to pay for them and guess what!!! Then they were “found”. Just like magic. And scheduled for delivery.
On Monday.
That’s convenient. We’re off this morning to help Amy get started on her chalk. This will be the calm before the storm.
The Martinez Gazette comes to the rescue. The 170 year old paper might not be printed anymore, but it still tells town members what they need to know.
Beaver Festival XIII coming Saturday, June 25
Beaver Festival XIII
It was 15 years ago that Martinez made room for the beavers that moved into Alhambra Creek. It wasn’t an easy – or unanimous – decision. The advocacy group “Worth A Dam” was formed to make sure the beavers ended up on the right side of history. The end result was a happier community, a more vibrant creek that teamed with wildlife and an annual beaver festival that has become famous around the state.
June 25th will see the 13th annual event (Covid prevented events for the past two years.) The free, family friendly outdoor event offers live music, wildlife exhibits, nature education, children’s activities and a wildly popular chalk artist that will be completing her beaver mural while the delighted crowd watches.
Every year the festival focuses on a central message: this year is how beavers can help California. By storing water, reducing fires, and increasing biodiversity beavers can really be an asset to the Golden State. One highlight of the day will be the “Giant beaver Giveaway” – made possible by Dr. Mark Troyer from Washington D.C., who after 35 years of collecting stuffed beavers wanted to donate them for an educational purpose. He gifted several hundred of the figures to Worth A Dam and this year children at the festival can “earn” the stuffed beaver of their choice by stepping up to the mic and reminding California how beavers can help.
I always appreciate when a paper uses my release entirely because I know it’s going to say the right thingI
In addition to their time on stage, children are invited to become Nature Detectives and help solve the “The case of the missing salmon” by using animal tracks to help solve the mystery at the beaver pond and earn a prize. Attendees can also paint an animal spirit flag with a local artist or help with the chalk art in the plaza. Grown-ups will find bird, plant or wildlife information, and unique deals at the always popular silent auction, which this year includes donations from Safari West, Silverado Vineyards and many downtown restaurants.
The popular event takes place in Susana Park in downtown Martinez at the corner of Estudillo Street and Susana Street from 11 a.m. – 4 p,m. Bring your friends and family and wildlife questions and get ready for a dam good time!
What city wouldn’t be proud to offer a DAM good time? I ask you.
