The city of Azusa on Saturday hosted the Outdoor Recreation & Eco-Fair to help connect the community with their local mountains and encourage healthy living, officials said.
The free event was timed to celebrate Earth Month and featured outdoor recreational activities and entertainment from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Memorial Park.
The fair’s focus was the ALL in For Azusa initiative, which aims to get the public into “integrative recreation by highlighting environmental stewardship, social connections, the outdoors and encourage the community to visit the San Gabriel Canyon Gateway Center, to explore and learn about their local mountains, connect with nature, and embrace a healthy lifestyle,” according to an announcement from the city prior to the fair.
The outdoor, family-oriented event featured live music, rock climbing, axe throwing and a variety of outdoor games and skill tests, snow to play in and free food. Attendees also learned about the cosmos with help from the Mount Wilson Observatory staff, in addition to the event’s art classes, face painting and giveaways that involved more than 30 local organizations, city officials said.
“Azusa has long been known as the Canyon City — the gateway to the San Gabriel National Monument,” Mayor Robert Gonzales said. “This past weekend, Azusa celebrated this natural heritage with an Eco Fair to promote heathy lifestyles and highlight our commitment to our environmental stewardship of this urban interface.”
Some interactive highlights from the fair included the observatory’s Solar Telescope and information on star gazing, the Azusa Pacific University Community Garden, the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health’s emphasis on nature’s connection to human wellness and the San Dimas Canyon Nature Center’s invitation to the community to visit the center and learn about the various types of local wild animals.
These organizations also were part of the fair: Azusa Light & Water; Watershed Conservation Authority; Nature For All; Outward Bound Adventures Inc.; Friends of the LA River; Azusa Beautiful; Heal the Bay; Cougar Conservancy; National Forest Foundation; San Gabriel Valley Conservation Corps; Latino Outdoors; Azusa Library; Angeles National Forest and LA Nature for All, among others.
“Through the All in For Azusa initiative we highlighted our environment and social connections as well as the benefits of outdoor recreation,” Gonzalez said. “The Eco Fair brought families together to learn about our local mountains, encouraged sustainable practices and inspired a new generation of environmental stewards. Together, we’re building a brighter, healthier and greener tomorrow for Azusa and future generations.”
