The sound of drumming fills the air, a unifying beat pulsing through Bend’s downtown streets. Painted faces of children wearing butterfly wings, furry tails and all the colors of the rainbow dance and twirl and parade to the African rhythm. Standing eight-feet tall in whimsical glory, The Earth Guardians lead the vibrant Procession of the Species as the Bend community gathers, united by a collective love for Mother Nature.
Bend’s Earth Day Fair & Parade, hosted by The Environmental Center (TEC) the third weekend in April, has been a community celebration since 1990. It is grounded in a mission to honor the Earth by coming together to protect it. “The Environmental Center started the Earth Day celebration to bring the national event to our local community and help Bend feel part of the larger environmental movement,” TEC Executive Director Mike Riley explained. “The throughlines of the original goals have remained, to connect the community to organizations working to protect and restore the environment. All while bringing people together to have fun, play games, eat good food and hear local music.”
What to Expect at the Earth Day Fair & Parade
Priscilla Calleros, TEC’s event and outreach manager since 2020, explored the evolution of the celebration in parallel with the community it serves to inspire. “Covid forced us to take a step back and evaluate how we’ve always done things. We wanted to use Earth Day as an opportunity to make a change. Staying true to the roots of the fair and the beloved things that make it such a well-attended event of the community, while integrating something new,” she said. Driven by the cultural perspective of her Mexican heritage, Calleros wove inclusivity into the celebration. “For many cultural groups, caring for the environment is a way of life. I wanted the Earth Day Fair & Parade to be a celebration of the varied ways all the different cultures who live and thrive in our Central Oregon community honor the environment,” Calleros explained. “So all identities can feel seen, included and welcomed.”
To make her vision come to life, Calleros commissioned artists representing myriad backgrounds in Central Oregon. Members of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs have led the welcome ceremony and performed Indigenous music and dance. The art of local high school students representing Aztec and Mayan heritage have adorned the posters for the fair. A Latina group has shared Ballet Folklórico de México. And African drummers and a New Orleans-style brass band have led the procession. For Earth Day 2024, Calleros hopes to have a Central Oregon high school marching band and more performances from the diverse community.
A Visual Center Point for the Annual Event
The Earth Guardians stand as iconic symbols of Bend’s colorful festivities. Created by local artist Teafly Peterson in collaboration with TEC and other artisans, The Guardians guide the Procession of the Species alongside the musicians, a march that culminates at Troy Field. There, Teafly ceremoniously narrates the legend of The River Guardian, The Forest Guardian and The Garden Guardian. It’s a tale woven with themes of connectedness, sustainability and stewardship.
There’s a collective energy that characterizes the Earth Day Fair & Parade, from the pre-parade workshops where children design their own costumes to the vibrance of festival-goers’ smiles; it’s a feeling captured in shared moments. “As the crowd gathered in community to watch the Aztec and Mayan dancers and drummers honor our connection to Mother Earth last year, I started to cry happy tears,” Calleros shared. “It was all so beautiful.” See envirocenter.org.
