CONWAY— If walking through an inflatable brain sounds intriguing to someone, or perhaps petting an alpaca or watching cardboard-car races, then EcoFest is the place to be.
The seventh annual event is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday in Laurel Park, 2215 Prince St., in Conway.
It’s bigger than ever, said Debbie Plopper of Conway, founder and co-coordinator of the event.
“There are some really cool new things this year, as well as the returning favorites like the Raptor Rehab and an expanded Cardboard Car Derby, a recycling section with a maze, [expanded] marketplace and even an expanded health section, which will include a section on brains,” Plopper said.
Conway Regional Medical Center will bring an inflatable, walk-through brain, and the Hendrix Neuroscience Club and Chenal Family Therapy will have staff there to “help us understand [the brain] and our lives more,” Plopper said. Part of that education will include information about stroke prevention. Plopper emphasized that “personal medical advice will not be dispensed,” however.
“We’ll have something on hearing and vision,” she said. “We didn’t want to be a typical health event — it’s what are the environmental ties to it?”
“The goal of our health section is to look at the many ways our environment impacts us and how things we do impact our environment,” she said. Conway Police Department personnel will be on hand to collect unwanted prescription drugs, as well as eyeglasses. “As the CPD collects unwanted prescription drugs, we will look at what happens to water bodies and people when we don’t dispose of [drugs] properly,” Plopper said.
She said she is excited about a “huge interactive Museum of Discovery Race for Planet X, which hasn’t been at the festival in five years.” The mobile museum includes 10 interactive exhibits. “That is really cool,” Plopper said.
“There is an amazing amount of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education involved in many aspects of our environment, so the Energy/Science/Tech area will feature an innovation alley that will include 3-D printers, robotics, software, some student projects and more,” Plopper said.
The coordinators said students and organizations from Hendrix College, the University of Central Arkansas and Central Baptist College, all in Conway; the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton; and Faulkner County high schools will be represented.
Allison Nicholas of Conway, co-coordinator of the event, said EcoFest collaborates with state and local organizations.
“EcoFest is really an educational event,” Nicholas said. She said the festival brings an awareness about new technology “in the greening of our state, our lives, really.”
Another section of the festival will focus on green homes and businesses, which will include tips to save money and resources to make homes more environmentally friendly.
“We have so much to be proud of in Conway, with our recycling programs,” Nicholas said. “People really care about the impact issues on our water — community issues.”
The Marketplace has been expanded this year, the women said. It will feature almost 20 vendors who make or sell eco-friendly items, including soap and Barbie clothes. Nicholas said it’s a good place to get gifts for Christmas.
“We have a lot of makers in our community that need to be celebrated — artists who
provide food, clothing, technology tools — and we’re really proud to be an organization that can help feature those organizations,” Nicholas said.
During the festival, Alice Guffey Miller of Monticello will complete a sculpture using recycled DVDs and CDs, which will be installed at Metro Square at Regions Bank in downtown Conway after the festival.
Other EcoFest events include big kites, magic tricks, a butterfly release, fly-fishing and lure-tying demonstrations and more. A list of all the events and exhibitors is available at www.conwayecofest.com.
Plopper said “a huge variety of food will be available” and live music will be performed, so people are encouraged to bring lawn chairs so they can enjoy the sounds and sights.
Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.