This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Celebrating Earth Day at the Common Ground

Still going green after more than two decades.

Locals gathered at the Common Ground on April 30 to celebrate at the 21st annual Earth Day Festival. Sponsored by the , the event drew hundreds of earth-friendly residents as well as environmentally aware vendors.

From handmade crafts to recycled jewelry to tips on making your home greener, there was a growing interest from vendors and attendees alike. There was a WRAP pail signup for Islip residents and Solatube was showing off its energy saving skylights. had a booth to feature its goods and handmade bags from the Hart offered one-of-a-kind pocketbooks. E-Green Management and Conventa Energy offered homeowners earth friendly ideas for a greener  environment.

Plenty of goodies were also available from local businesses. Girl Scout Troop 46 was selling cookies. The was showing off their floral offerings. Representatives were also available to talk about their local work from ShelterLink, Long Island Animal Advocates and the Great South Bay Audubon Society. The Coastal Research Society of Long Island even had a touch table for kids to feel all different kinds of seashells and marine life.

Find out what's happening in Sayville-Bayportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Christine Beechel from Christine’s Concoctions was selling her handcrafted health and beauty products. Homemade cookies were beautifully displayed by local Sayville residents Barbara Liguori and Joyce Sheridan of Cookie Creek. Miss Amy’s Preserves had all homemade jams and jellies.

For the kids, there was a sand art booth. B-103 was working the event with more than just music. There were trivia contests and free tickets to Ducks games as Quackerjack was also in the house. also had a booth, while members of (Students Working for Enhanced Environmental Protection) had a large area where they were giving away free books.

Find out what's happening in Sayville-Bayportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Unique entries to the Recycled Art Contest were displayed for all to see. SWEEP also had two craft stations set up for the kids where they could make their own picture frames or bird feeders to bring home. There was also face painting and a bouncy castle to keep the kids entertained.

By the stage area, there were activities and entertainment scheduled throughout the day. Cornell University’s Suffolk County Farm had a petting zoo for the kids with llamas, chickens, pigs, goats and rabbits. On the stage area, Boy Scout Troop 76 started off the event with a flag ceremony. Local political figures Phil Nolan, Bill Lindsay and Gene Parrington were all on hand to announce the winners of the Earth Day Poster Contest. The Sayville Village Improvement Society also took to the stage to talk about its elm tree project.

Ovations Dance Academy in Bohemia performed for the crowd. As far as musical entertainment, Big Mike and the Blue Streak with the Better Late than Never Band took the stage first, followed by Ken “The Rocker” Korb and Kerry Kearney.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?