The Environmental Nature Center will present its 15th annual Spring Faire virtually on Sunday May 17th, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m, with preview features posted online daily starting May 11. A schedule and details are at encenter.org.
The online event will feature virtual visits to the ENC’s Butterfly House to learn about butterflies and their host and nectar plants. Throughout the week children can participate in a virtual pollinator themed “Craft Crawl” and “Story Walk” with Girl Scout Troop 2800. The Center will post virtual nature games, animal encounters, and performances around the virtual “Fire Circle Stage”. The ENC's website has schedule details and info on which platforms will feature which events.
To make the event interactive, everyone is encouraged to decorate themselves in their best spring themed costume or face paint, and post their photos on Instagram, tagged #2020ENCSpringFaire for a chance to win prizes.
The ENC's Savor OC Restaurant Showcase will still be a feature of the event, with chefs from local restaurants presenting short online cooking demos on how to prepare delicious, sustainable food. Local restaurants participating in the Virtual Savor OC include Mi Casa, Pink Salt Cuisine, Al’s New York Café, Kean Coffee, Sensitive Sweets, Suzanne’s Catering, Playa Mesa, Dory Deli, Helmsman Ale House, the Country Club, Black Market Bakery, Sessions West Coast Deli and Wahoo’s.
Virtual tours of the ENC Nature Preschool, which opened in September, will be lead by the school's teachers and feature mini lessons and insight into how the students learn through collaborative, creative activities. Participants will also get a sneak peek into the classrooms, the Nature Playscape, the Art Zone and the Organic Garden.
The Spring Faire is a fundraiser for the ENC, with proceeds supporting environmental education programs throughout the year. To generate revenue with the virtual event, the Center is presenting an online silent auction. Businesses and individuals interested in donating to the auction can do so HERE. The ENC is also hosting a virtual Native Plant Sale, as well as a virtual Rain Barrel Sale. Plants can be purchased online and picked up from the Nature Center "curbside" on May 14 and 15. Rain barrels can also be purchased online, and Rain Barrels International will deliver the barrels (locally) between May 15 and 17.
The ENC is a non-profit 501(c)-3 public benefit corporation. For more information call 949-645-8489, or visit ENCenter.org. The ENC is located at 1601 16th St. in Newport Beach.
