Haw River Festival Learning Celebration

Pittsboro, NC – Just a few miles from my house in Monterrane is the wild and beautiful Haw River. One of the most beautiful things about it is the Haw River Assembly, a non-profit citizen’s group founded in 1982 to restore and protect the Haw River and Jordan Lake.

Right now, HRA is busily gearing up for their 21st annual Haw River Festival Learning Celebration, and they could use your help.

110-Mile Classroom

The annual Learning Celebration is a traveling environmental education program that journeys the entire 110-mile length of the Haw River for three weeks every September and October. A crew of educators, performers and river lovers alike brings a hands-on learning experience to approximately 1,500 4th grade students from the six counties the river connects.

The children take a field trip to the festival to learn about waste reduction and solar energy, get up close and personal with local reptiles, hear stories from old-timers about fishing, life, and mill work on the Haw River, and enjoy various performances including puppet shows and sing-alongs.

The first Haw River Learning Celebration took place in 1990. Since then, over 33,000 students and 2,000 volunteers have participated.

Volunteer

This year’s event occurs from September 18th-October 8th, and there are still many volunteer opportunities available. Volunteer for a week or just a few days, make a meal or provide food, lend a truck or help with a move.

Assist with the puppet shows, or simply make a monetary donation.

Contact
Donna Myers
Haw River Assembly
Watershed Education
(919) 542-5790
[email protected]

8 Counties, 1 Million People

The Haw River Assembly is a non-profit citizen’s group founded in 1982 to restore and protect the Haw River and Jordan Lake. The 110 mile Haw River and its tributaries flow through Guilford, Rockingham, Caswell, Alamance, Orange, Chatham, Wake, and Durham Counties.

Almost one million people are part of this watershed.

Their goals are to promote environmental education, conservation and pollution prevention. Their work is made possible by the efforts and support of their members and volunteers.

The Haw River really is one of the treasures of the Triangle (I feel another post coming on). It’s one of my favorite places and always comes up when I’m talking to people about houses and neighborhoods in Chatham County.

So check out the Haw River Assembly and volunteer or donate to this year’s Learning Celebration.

Photo by Donald Lee Pardue under a Flickr Creative Commons license.