With Earth Day on Friday, the City of Brownsville Parks and Recreation Department has planned events around our local environment for the community this Saturday.

A cleanup event kicks things off with Keep Brownsville Beautiful for the Great American Cleanup event from 7:30 a.m. until noon in the four districts.

The event is part of the Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup campaign, encouraging people to join together to take charge of their community’s environmental health.

According to KAB.org: “Keep America Beautiful believes that people and places are profoundly interconnected. Whether you live in a big city, a suburb or a small rural town, the Great American Cleanup is a shining example of how lasting, positive change happens when people work together.”

Each year from March 21 to June 22, groups can register with the campaign to get supplies and organize their own cleanup events.

Saturday’s cleanup will be the first in a series of cleanups for Brownsville. There will be another through the city on May 14 focusing on bulk items and on June 11 on disposing of expired medications.

For this weekend’s event, volunteers can pre-register or show up on the day ready to work. Volunteers are also welcome to meet up at 7:30 a.m. at the City of Brownsville’s Parks and Recreation’s Downtown Recreation Center if they don’t already have an area.

“This is our home; this is where we live and raise our families; this is where our children play…I think it is important that, as a community, we work together to keep our home clean,” Shannon G. Contreras,

Special Events Coordinator for the City of Brownsville Parks & Recreation Department said.

Volunteers can call Contreras to register or get more information at (956) 556-1713.

After a long week, there’s nothing better than celebrating our city’s parks and natural beauty.

From 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. Linear Park will play host to EarthFest ‘22 at the Brownsville Farmers’ Market.

The annual event focuses on highlighting the natural resources available in our community and how we can protect them for future generations.

This year, the event is a partnership between the Brownsville Wellness Coalition, the Brownsville Beautification Committee, Keep Brownsville Beautiful and the City of Brownsville Parks and Recreation Department.

With fun games and activities, local vendors, the farmers’ market and informational booths— EarthFest ‘22 offers something for everyone to celebrate Earth Day.

If you have a green thumb, the Brownsville Beautification Committee will also be handing out tree saplings to take home and plant.

To get more information about Saturday’s events, visit the Brownsville Parks & Recreation Facebook page.

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