An ideal day to learn new recycling ways

For the 36th consecutive year, Americans will celebrate their home planet while learning new ways to recycle and reuse.

Spokane residents can take part in Earth Day activities at Riverfront Park Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. This year’s theme is “Sustain Our Earth, Our Choices Make a World of Difference.”

A special “Procession of the Species” parade will be held for children. Kids are invited to bring an animal costume to wear, or they can make their own costume at one of the Earth Day booths, and then parade through the park at noon.

The event also will include a World Music and Dance Festival, an environmental film festival that will be held at Spokane City Hall Council Chambers, 808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd., and more than 40 informational booths, children’s activities and more.

Residents also are encouraged to turn in old sneakers, which can be recycled into playing surfaces on athletic fields and tracks. Old cell phones will be recycled to raise money to protect endangered species in the Selkirk region, or given to low-income residents.

For more information, call The Lands Council at 838-4912.

Celebrating Earth Day

Kids can learn how to recycle and celebrate Earth Day at the Colfax Library, 102 S. Main, Thursday from 10 a.m. to noon.

The Whitman County Public Works Department will be at the event with information and demonstrations.

Kids who bring in an item to recycle, such as pop cans, milk jugs, phone books and newspapers, will receive a free pass to the Palouse Discovery Science Center in Pullman and a gift bag.

For more information, call Lori Brown of the Whitman County Library at (509) 397-4366.

Mukogawa family festival

In conjunction with Japan Week 2006, Mukogawa Fort Wright Institute, 4000 W. Randolph Road, and the Japanese Cultural Center will celebrate Japanese culture on April 26 from 3 to 5 p.m.

The afternoon will include origami, brush writing, tea ceremonies and kimono wearing.

It also includes the exhibit “The Year of the Inu, Dog,” which features Japanese New Year postcard art.

For more information, call 328-2971.

Running Start information

Spokane Falls Community College, 3410 W. Fort George Wright Drive, is offering an informational session for area public high school juniors and seniors who are interested in the Running Start program.

The session is Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in Building 17 on the SFCC campus.

Current Running Start students and SFCC instructors will be on hand to answer questions. Students enrolled in Running Start can earn college credits while also attending high school.

For more information, call Doug Morgan, an SFCC counselor, at 533-3524.

Parenting workshop

Alice Rockhill, outreach educator for the Whitman County Library, will lead “Parenting for Everyone,” a workshop that will address positive and practical parenting tips, Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in the Colfax Library, 102 S. Main.

For more information, call Lori Brown at (509) 397-4366, or e-mail lori@whitco.lib.wa.us.

Day of the Child

The Moscow Arts Commission is presenting the Young People’s Arts Festival April 29 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Moscow Junior High School.

The theme of this year’s festival is “Dia do los Ninos — the Day of the Child,” which is a holiday in Mexico that celebrates children.

Students in first through sixth grade are invited to attend and participate in rug weaving, mask making and yarn painting workshops, as well as music and performance classes.

Kids can take up to four classes, and the fees range from $6.50 to $13.

For more information, call Deena Heath of the Moscow Arts Commission at (208) 883-7036.

Penny drive

The Spokane Guilds’ School Foundation is presenting its 10th Annual Community Penny Drive Saturday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 16 different locations.

The money raised will benefit the Spokane Guilds’ School and Neuromuscular Center, which provides services to children in Spokane County with developmental disabilities without regard to the family’s ability to pay for them.

To find a location near you, or for more information, call Kristi Fountain, events manager at the Spokane Guilds’ School, at 326-1651.