Participants in Saturday’s kayak ride come ashore at the Nesbitt Park boat launch. The ride was part of this year’s NEPA Riverfest, with kayakers paddling down to Wilkes-Barre from Harding.
Kevin Carroll | Times Leader
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Chase Benson (left), 11, digs for artifacts while Mark Riccetti Jr. (partially hidden) and Allyson Earl from the Luzerne County Historical Society assist him in his search at Riverfest.
Kevin Carroll | Times Leader
Joe Boyle from Penn State’s Master Watershed Steward program shows off his display at the Riverfest Environmental Education tent in Nesbitt Park Saturday.
Kevin Carroll | Times Leader
WILKES-BARRE — In the 25 years since it was first held, Riverfest has aimed to provide two services to the people who come out each year: both a fun weekend full of entertainment and activities, and an education on the environment and the Susquehanna River.
On the second of three days along the banks of the Susquehanna, this year’s iteration of Riverfest certainly did its job.
Music, food and fun was interspersed between nearly 30 exhibits taking a look at the environment inside Nesbitt Park on Saturday.
Much of the fun was tied in to each exhibit, with t-shirt painting, a simulated archaeological dig and a glimpse at the tools of an 18th-century surgeon among the many stops underneath the Environmental Education tent.
“That’s our mission — education and recreation,” said John Maday, the executive director of the all-volunteer Riverfront Parks Committee and a driving force behind Riverfest.
Maday said that he felt a sense of pride when he recalled the humble beginnings of Riverfest, 25 years ago, and compared that to what the event has blossomed into today.
“We started in this park with some tables giving out information on a Saturday afternoon about the environment,” Maday said, gesturing to a small part of Nesbitt Park near the boat launch.
“That’s where we started … now you could see what it’s grown to.”
That growth presented itself on Saturday in the form of the large Environmental Education tent nestled right in the middle of the park, along with several food vendors, live music from the Fuzzy Park Band and Don Shappelle and The Pickups, guided walking tours and kayak rides down the Susquehanna.
The kayakers arrived at Nesbitt Park around 1:30 p.m. at the end of their journey down the river from Harding.
Kristen Hallett said that she had only gone out kayaking a couple of times before Saturday’s ride, but the trip down the Susquehanna only bolstered her resolve to become more involved with the activity.
“I still love it after 14 miles,” Hallett joked, referencing the distance from start to finish. “I wish it was a little warmer, but the wind gave us some momentum.”
Underneath the Education tent, several organizations devoted to the environment and to conservation set up shop to hand out information and chat with passersby.
It wasn’t just environmental groups participating, however; also featured at Riverfest were organizations like the Restored Church, the Luzerne County Historical Society, the Wilkes-Barre City Health Department and even the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, who handed out bracelets and coloring sheets.
Amanda Cromer, from the Penguins organization, said that she knew Maday from prior events; many of the other groups were reached out to and brought together by April Davies, the coordinator for the Environmental Education tent.
“We’ve reached out to environmental groups and other nonprofits to be here,” Davies said. “We want them to share their knowledge with the community.”
As they’ve always been on Riverfest weekend, the community was very happy to absorb that knowledge.
One popular stop was the Luzerne County Historical Society’s simulated archaeological dig, in which marbles and other “artifacts” were hidden in some soil for people to uncover.
Chase Benson, 11, turned up a number of items in his turn digging through the dirt.
“It’s nice here, I like to take my time and enjoy everything,” said Benson, who came up from West Chester, near Philadelphia, to attend Riverfest, as he’s done for the last couple of years. “I come here for the fun.”
Standing by watching his grandson dig was Shickshinny resident Owen Lavery, a faithful Riverfest attendee for many years, often with his grandson.
“I’m an environmental kind of guy, so I like it here,” Lavery said. “It’s good for the younger people, too, so they could learn.”
After being reduced to just two days over the last couple of years, Riverfest will conclude on Sunday with its third and final day of activities, including a Father’s Day paddleboat ride from Nesbitt Park to Hunlock Creek.
