KENT —Even though rain was in the forecast, Kent Land Trust decided to forge ahead with the Community Picnic Memorial Day and it paid off. The rain held off for the two-hour event.
Executive Director Connie Manes was thankful for the flexibility displayed by all.
“I’m so pleased with our community,” said Manes. “When we were setting up at 9 a.m. and it was pouring we had our doubts, but we ended up with a great window of weather.”
The Community Picnic was advertised as rain or shine. While there was no parade this year, the Kent Land Trust staff and board members were ready for whatever the day brought. Program Manager Melissa Cherniske reminded all the participants the day before that the picnic would be held rain or shine. Handmade signs were posted inside the Community House reminding residents the picnic was on from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Manes was particularly pleased by all the volunteers who pitched in to help provide activities.
While the Joint Chiefs usually play live, they couldn’t attend due to the damp weather so volunteer Lynette Hatfield found the group on Spotify and was able to broadcast the music over her speakers.
That is what the picnic is all about – engaging with one’s Kent neighbors in celebration of conservation, Manes said.
Children enjoyed participating in a wide variety of activities, from painting rocks, to making bubbles with the Scouts, to getting a glitter tattoo from Hatfield and fellow volunteer Anne McAndrew. Wooden pollinator houses punctured with holes of all sizes were available to be painted by children, take home and set up to attract the pollinators.
There were also a number of conservation and educational environmental booths set up in the field. Purple martins were on display in two dimensions and Aiden Cherniske and George Fink, recently back from college, were manning the table talking with those interested in learning more about the birds that have established multiple colonies in Kent.
“In 2013 there were 20 purple martins and now there are 900,” Aiden Cherniske explained about the very successful environmental program.
The Fen, Lindera from Sharon was explaining the importance of native seeds and native plants to birds and the eco system. TradesUp was allowing children to try their hands at using tools.
Kent Park and Recreation offered bingo games and the Kent Lions Club had water bottles and a collection of stickers to decorate them. Resident Trooper Vicky Donohoe was on hand to meet residents, along with Brian Hunt and Michael Donaghey of the town’s Emergency Management.
Kent Conservation Commission was distributing information about solar energy and native plants, as well as selling its popular trail book featuring all of the preserves and hiking trails in Kent. The commission also teamed up with Jen Heaton-Jones of the Housatonic Resource Recovery Authority to talk with those attending about composting, the food scraps program, as well as the new transfer station fees that will begin July 1.
The Rex Brasher Museum was sharing information about the famed painter, who lived many years in Kent. Next to that booth, the Kent Memorial Library shared information about its planned expansion of its building by renovating the former firehouse to provide more space for activities.
“This event shows there is so much about our community of Kent to love,” Manes said.
