'Green' Is The Word At The Upcoming Howell Day Festival

HOWELL, NJ — The Howell Day festivities will be a chance for residents to get to know all the environmental groups in town - and to get advice from the experts.

The Environmental Commission, Shade Tree Commission and Green Team will all have booths at the fair at Soldier Memorial Park and have lots planned for visitors, according to Lisa Doud, chairperson of the Shade Tree Commission:

• The Environmental Commission will have a booth with information on native plants and how to create a wildlife habitat in your backyard, Doud said.

"Anyone can create a welcoming haven for local wildlife. Turning your yard, balcony container garden, schoolyard, work landscape or roadside greenspace into a Certified Wildlife Habitat® is fun, easy, and can make a lasting difference for wildlife and pollinators," she said.

The Environmental Commission, Shade Tree Commission and Green Team are currently working together to create a Community Wildlife Habitat in Howell which community members can volunteer to help with by emailing friendsofhowellstc@gmail.com.

• The Shade Tree Commission will have information on the invasive Spotted Lantern Fly and how to help the community work toward eliminating it. There will also be information on fall tree planting and the benefits of trees in our community. Spotted Lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula, is an invasive planthopper native to China, India, and Vietnam; it is also established in South Korea, Japan and the U.S. It was first discovered in the U.S. in Pennsylvania in Berks County in 2014 and has spread to other counties in Pennsylvania as well as the states of New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, New York, Connecticut and Ohio, Doud said.

"This insect has the potential to greatly impact agricultural crops and hardwood trees. It feeds on the plant sap of many different plants including grapevines, maples, black walnut, and other important plants in New Jersey. While it does not harm humans or animals, it can reduce the quality of life for people living in heavily infested areas," Doud said.

• The Green Team will be providing education on plastic reduction and how to reduce/eliminate the use of plastic in your everyday life along with information on how long plastics last once they go to the landfill.

The organizations are also working with the state Department of Environmental Protection to try to have a booth with information on electric vehicles, Doud added.

The Howell Day & Green Fair 2022 is less than a month away. But there is also still time for vendors to apply to showcase their wares, the township said.

Craft, food or merchandise vendors can apply to participate by going to the application form on the township website.

Howell Day is Saturday, Sept. 24, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. It will take place at Soldier Memorial Park, Lakewood-Farmingdale Road.

Apart from vendor wares, there is lots to expect at the festival, including:

• Free inflatable and mechanical rides
• Live entertainment by the Howell High School Marching Band
• More live entertainment from MVP Band, Just Killin' Time, Black Ties
• Touch-A-Truck and other demonstrations
• Fireworks at dusk