By: Claire Tribble
Oh, Earth Day, you always shine. The 2026 Earth Day Expo was nothing short of amazing. We had so many people come through, and it looked as though everyone was having a great time. From perfect weather (a real surprise), to shows and vendors, everything was spectacular. We all work incredibly hard to make sure that the event is a success, but the real heroes are our sponsors. They continue to make it possible for all of this to happen.
Athens State University goes above and beyond every year. From providing the space as well as the tables and chairs to setting it up, nothing is lacking! Amy Garrison, Donald Evans, and Necedah Henderson work incredibly hard helping us plan everything down to the very last detail. And it doesn’t stop there, the Athens State Biology department brings reptiles for attendees to interact with, they bring tree seedlings to give away, and they offer Tree Tours of the campus’s historic trees. This year, their English department was able to host a writing workshop with Wild Alabama during the event. ASU Teach had a scavenger hunt and nature bingo. We really can’t put into words how much they do for the Earth Day Expo.
Limestone County Water and Sewer Authority has been absolutely marvelous over the past few years. They bring us Steve Trash-Rockin’ Eco Hero! Kids love his shows — they are filled with magic, music, and education! From recycling to ethical environmental habits, he teaches it all. He’s a crowd favorite for sure. He has a show on PBS, if you’ve never seen it, you’re missing out!
This year, Indorama brought two new things — Caricature artist Lash LaRoux and Wild Adventures’ spider monkeys! Lash had a line all day long! I didn’t see anyone that wasn’t thrilled with their portraits, and we hope that this is something that people keep for years to come. The spider monkeys from Wild Adventures were a total hit! Kids and adults were lined up to see the monkeys and interact with them. And those monkeys could not have been sweeter!
This was our second year for the TBAKI Earth Day Art Contest. This may be my favorite part of Earth Day now. We had well over 100 entries this year, and I am so grateful that I did not have to judge! There was some stiff competition for sure. I love to see how creative kids can be; we have so much talent in Limestone County. We are so grateful that TBAKI has chosen to sponsor this part of the Earth Day Expo, and we hope that we can continue to grow this event every year.
Harmon Scrap Metal chose to sponsor our Kid’s Crafts booth this year! We were able to have several crafts to choose from, inside and outside! From tissue paper flowers to bee crowns to birdfeeders, we had a little bit of everything! And we need to give a shoutout to our wonderful volunteers who ran these booths, Diane Risdon and Amy Cotton. We truly couldn’t have done it without you!
Redstone Federal Credit Union and Bank Independent brought you the Rise Raptor show and booth. Curt and his crew work extremely hard to keep their rescue going, and we are so happy that they are able to share their amazing raptors with us. Maximus is the most beautiful, stoic creature and he steals the show every year! They are a nonprofit like us, so they work hard every day to keep everything running. We are so happy that we are able to contribute to their cause.
We can’t wait to begin planning for next year, and we hope you make sure to put us on your calendar!
By: Claire Tribble – Executive Director,
Keep Athens-Limestone Beautiful
