Batavia’s Earth Hour educational party set for Saturday

Earth Hour may only last 60 minutes, but the fun planned for Batavia’s celebration Saturday night will take twice that long.

“What I like to do is get people excited that we are going to do something fun ... and then pack a little green message in there,” said event chairman Dianne Peterson.

The free event is from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Eastside Community Center, Wilson and Van Buren streets. It is co-sponsored by the Batavia Environmental Commission and the Batavia Park District.

The lights will be turned down, in keeping with Earth Hour’s worldwide focus on energy consumption and its effect on the global climate.

All ages are welcome, although Peterson suggests people who participate in the meditation class be at least 10 years old. One of the yoga sessions is reserved for people 13 and older.

There will be a drum circle, games for children, artistic photographic portraits taken in the dark, yoga by candlelight, stories told about the constellations, demonstrations of big telescopes and more.

The event will piggyback on the February showing of the movie “Chemerical,” which was about the use of household cleaners and cosmetics. People will demonstrate how to make lip balm, dish soap, weed killer, laundry detergent and more.

“I’ve had people stop me on the street and say, ‘It is the best laundry soap I have ever used’,” Peterson said of the soap recipe featured in the film.

Why celebrate in Batavia? Peterson says it is to raise awareness of environmental issues and that they affect all places on the Earth.

“This is not a problem that just exists in the city or a city,” she said.

For more information about the event, visit facebook.com/events/413190145364711/.

If you go

What:Batavia’s Earth Hour celebration

When: 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. March 31

Where: Eastside Community Center, Van Buren and Wilson streets, Batavia

Activities: Children’s games, yoga, drum circle, portraits, astronomy, crystal bowls, guided meditation, storytelling, Reiki massage, chair massage, a gong bath, “green” cleaning demonstrations

Extra: Earth Hour participants will get a discount on ice cream at Batavia Creamery, 4 N. Island Ave., from 9:30 to 10 p.m.

For details: facebook.com/events/413190145364711/

Source: Batavia Environmental Commission