Footprints

by Budd Glassberg

Not Published by the Zionsville Times Sentinel on April 16, 2008

Birds, Trees, Music, the Earth and a Run

Imagine walking inside a 22 foot diameter Earth Balloon that can hold 30 students. The entrance into this world is at the international dateline in the Pacific Ocean. Each inch of the structure is the equivalent of 30 miles. At this scale, the moon would be two football fields away and the sun more than 49 miles away. Planes would fly just ¼ inch above the surface of the globe and 99% of the earth’s atmosphere would be within one inch of the globe’s surface. The space shuttle would fly just five and a half inches from the surface. The amount of rain forest destroyed annually would equal an area approximately 4.2 inches square on the globe’s surface. These interesting discoveries and many more will be available to Z’GreenFest visitors at no cost this Sunday between noon and 3 PM. The interactive Earth Balloon 15-20 minute tours will be set up in the Eagle Elementary Gymnasium. It is sponsored entirely by the Zionsville Community Schools Recycling Committee that also brought this amazing display to the ZCS elementary schools two years ago.

At 1 PM, naturalist Mark Booth will be presenting a wildlife program at the festival with his many birds of prey which will amaze and delight the entire family. If you have not seen one of Mr. Booth’s shows before, you will be in for a very pleasant surprise.

There will be a plethora of attractions for the little ones including a Fairy House Village, I Spy and Sawdust Scramble games, interactive educational booths and an art exhibit all connected to the theme of celebrating and preserving our great planet. Musical groups will be entertaining throughout the festival. The Zionsville Parks Board will have a tree planting. Refreshments will be sold as well as raffles and a silent auction to help support Z’GreenFest for future years.

I attended last year’s Z’GreenFest and was encouraged by the number of visitors and presenters. This year’s festival will have many more booths, more things to do, and should have double the people attending. It will be held even if the weather does not cooperate, but in that event all events and attractions will take place inside the Eagle Elementary School gym.

My small contribution to the activities will take place before Z’GreenFest begins. From 11 AM until noon, I will be putting on a Fun Run which begins at the basketball court behind Eagle Elementary. It is free, of course, and is open to runners and walkers of all ages. The 2.8 mile Eagle Elementary cross-country course is made up of 5 loops of just over ½ mile each that runs through the woods behind the school. It is a dirt and gravel course with a lot of twists and turns and two hills to climb. The event is not a race, but instead a run where participants are encouraged to “run when you can, walk when you must.” The run will also be used as a qualifying event for any children of fourth grade age or younger who wishes to participate in the Zionsville Anti-Mini Marathon which will be held on May 3^rd.

Since the school’s spring break, I have been coaching a number of 3^rd and 4^th grade students during their lunch recess to train for the Anti-Mini. These dedicated young athletes have voluntarily chosen to forego all games and other fun at recess during the month of April and instead have pledged to train each day by running through the woods. Thus far, they have made great progress in their endurance. On Sunday, they will attempt to complete the course and qualify for the Anti-Mini. Those who qualify will receive free admission to the run. Parents of these students are encouraged to get their children to the start a few minutes early in order to give their sons or daughters the maximum amount of time in which to qualify.

I hope to see many of you out at Z’GreenFest on Sunday. After the run is complete, I will be working in the raffle and silent auction area. Please stop by to say hello.

Budd Glassberg is a 23 year resident of Zionsville who works and volunteers in the community. Visit www.runz.com for reprints of all his columns. You can reach him by email at budd@runz.com.