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Kickapoo Earth Day plans to entertain and educate
In Gays Mills this year
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As the Third Annual Kickapoo Earth Day celebration approaches, organizers encourage everyone to attend this year’s “Rendezvous of the Frogs” on April 20 and 21.

Taking place at the Gays Mills Community Commerce Center, the event seeks to create a format and tradition for community voices and environmental experts, while finding the answer to the question “what can activists, artists, green businesses and organizations, and philanthropists accomplish together?”

Events will kick off Friday, April 20 at 6 p.m. with a collaborative theater piece incorporating the very sounds of nature with instrumental and vocal music, dance, theater, commentary, and audience participation.

Central to the evening is a new audiovisual piece. ‘27 Birds,’ created by musician William Neil. The original piece incorporates bird song into an original music composition and visual display. Neil is an award-winning composer and was the Chicago Lyric Opera’s first composer-in-residence. He is also Executive Director with FourthStream, a nonprofit that helps fund creative music works.

“It is stories told with stories,” said Alvin Felch, one of the contributing artists to the evening concert. Felch explained that the purpose of creating a layered performance is to help the audience create a deeper connection to how they experience and understand the natural world.

“This is about how we related to nature,” Felch said. “It is about seeing nature as relation, as relating to us.”

Admission for the evening is $10 per adult, children are free.

On Saturday, “Rendezvous of the Frogs” runs from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Using both the community hall and the meeting room, the event will offer speakers, workshops, music, documentaries and children’s activities. Vendors will be located both within and without the building, offering food, drink, and much more. Admission is $5 per adult; under 16 are free.

An extensive silent auction will be taking place both days.

If interested in participating as a vendor, contributing to the silent auction, or volunteering call 608-625-6061 or 608-632-2216.