Meadow Center to host 2023 Earth Day festival at river, Spring Lake

The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University will host the 10th annual Earth Day San Marcos Festival on Saturday, April 22, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Spring Lake, the headwaters of the San Marcos River.

The festival is free and open to the public. It will offer hands-on educational activities for all ages and a full day of entertainment through demonstrations and live performances. Plus, over 30 eco-friendly exhibitors and vendors will be on hand this year to highlight a wide variety of environmental and sustainability- related topics.

“Earth Day San Marcos provides a fun, family- friendly atmosphere to learn about our connection to the natural world and the importance of protecting it,” Miranda Wait, Deputy Director of Spring Lake Operations said. “We hope to encourage and celebrate environmental stewardship and continue fostering a love of science among current and future generations in our community.”

The Indigenous Cultures Institute will kick off the festivities at 10 a.m. with a blessing at the San Marcos Springs to commemorate Indigenous Peoples Day and to ask for healing for all people on Mother Earth. Following the blessing, the Texas State Department of Philosophy will host a Philosophy Dialogue Series beginning at 11 a.m., featuring a presentation on “Transforming Texas Classrooms with Indigenous Pedagogy: Xinachtli Teachers Training” from Dr. Tori Moreno, a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Organization, Workforce, and Leadership Studies, and Yvette Regalado, a doctoral student in developmental education.

Thanks to generous contributions from H-E-B, attendees will enjoy free glass-bottom boat rides from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Supporting the preservation of our state’s natural resources and inspiring environmental stewardship through awareness and education are key components of H-E-B’s Our Texas, Our Future commitment.

“H-E-B’s Our Texas, Our Future mission works to ensure that all Texans can connect and experience the outdoors, which is why we are thrilled to have them as the presenting sponsor of the festival,” Wait said. “Earth Day San Marcos is about celebrating the natural resources that make our San Marcos community special, and we are pleased to have partners, like H-E-B, who have committed to collaboration and support through our partnership.”

Throughout the day, Texas State's Outdoor Recreation Department will host demos for attendees interested in learning new outdoor skills. The festival will also feature live music from several local artists, including Horseshoe, Mama Birds and Tiger Alley.

In addition, Earth Day San Marcos will serve as the grand opening of Art-4Water’s Sacred Spring Kite Exhibit at Spring Lake, which will feature kites displayed throughout Spring Lake Hall that illustrate the connection between water and life in Texas. A kite building and flying activity with Terry Zee Lee, a renowned facilitator and curator of kite exhibitions, will be held from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. in conjunction with the exhibit’s grand opening. Art-4Water is a collaboration between the Wimberley Valley Watershed Association, Terry Zee Lee and over 30 national artists.

The presenting sponsor for the festival is H-E-B, and co-sponsors include the San Marcos Convention and Visitors Bureau, the City of San Marcos, the Texas State Environmental Service Committee, the Texas State Department of Philosophy and the Texas State Office of Sustainability.

Those interested in volunteering at the festival can fill out an application online at https://bit. ly/41Pufho. For more information, visit EarthDay. MeadowsWater.org.

About The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University was named following a generous gift from The Meadows Foundation in August 2012. The Meadows Center inspires research, innovation and leadership that ensures clean, abundant water for the environment and all humanity.

Earth Day San Marcos provides a fun, family-friendly atmosphere to learn about our connection to the natural world and the importance of protecting it. Miranda Wait