Pocatello’s EnviroFair to have something for everyone — not just ‘treehuggers’

POCATELLO — You can celebrate Earth Day this year at the Portneuf Valley Environmental Fair, or “EnviroFair.”

The EnviroFair is an annual event put on by the city of Pocatello, and this year it’s hosting 75 local businesses, agencies and organizations that will teach people of all ages ways to help the community by keeping the lands and waterways clean.

The event will be Saturday at Caldwell Park from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The fair is a free event with free entertainment, free food and free bus rides to the park through Pocatello Regional Transit.

Drew Riemersma, a Pocatello environmental technician, has been excited for people to attend the Environmental Fair this year.

“It’s going to be outside, and after the spring we’ve had, I think it’s going to be excellent for people to just be able to get outside and see the fair,” Riemersma said.

Organizers started planning for this year’s fair in December, and with more than 60 booths and even more businesses, the fair has something to offer for people with a wide range of interests.

“It’s one of those events that it brings in everyone. It’s not something where you’re just going to find a bunch of tree-huggers,” Riemersma said. “You’re going to have an awesome time with your family.”

The fair will have ecological booths for people looking to have their well-water or soil tested for issues. Normally, many of these tests cost money, but at this event, people can have it tested for free.

“Anything that was built before the ’70s is likely to have lead paint somewhere in it, so we’re offering these free tests where people can bring in a quart-sized bag of soil, and they can get it scanned right there, and (employees of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare) will let them know if that soil is safe,” Riemersma said.

The Idaho State University Chemistry Club will be making liquid nitrogen ice cream in front of patrons.

Lamb Weston will provide food for fairgoers and they’ll give away enough fries to 1,200 people.

Live entertainment will also be at the fair, with the Sons of Bannock, The Luddites and Spudmother on stage.

People who ride their bikes to the park can have their names entered into a raffle. Youths can get stamps on their passport and be entered into a raffle.

One of the bigger events that are a lot of fun for the youth is the recycled sculpture contest and the Illustrated Poem Contest and there’s still time to register.

The sculpture contest is open to children in the fourth grade and up. The poetry contest is for K-12. There are different age categories, and people in attendance can vote on their favorites.

The theme for this year’s sculpting contest is “Up-Cycling Our Future.” The theme for the illustrated poem contest is “Algae: The Curious Chemistry of Amazing Algae.”

There will also be organizations at the fair that are committed to helping make Pocatello a healthier, cleaner place to live. People can learn more about and possibly get involved in these organizations.

“Everyone should come out and enjoy the weather. There is a kids’ area where kids can come and exhume bones, create birdfeeders, even play on the toys. Parents enjoy it too, because they can learn about important information in the area and eat some food while they are at it,” Riemersma said.

To become a volunteer at the event, call Jennifer Flynn at (208) 234-6189 or apply on the website.