For Earth Day, channel your inner animal

Butterflies, bunnies and beavers will parade through Riverfront Park on Saturday.

The annual Earth Day celebration will once again feature a Procession of the Species at 2:30 p.m.

Everyone can join the procession, with costumes brought from home or made at the fair’s craft booth, where participants will find tons of donated art supplies and recycled materials, as well as instructions on how to make animal masks, said Amanda Parrish of the Lands Council. And, parade participants will be eligible for raffle prizes.

Spokane’s Earth Day festivities start at 10 a.m. There will be music, education booths and vendors throughout the day.

This year the celebration has been extended into the evening with Earth Night, featuring more music and a documentary.

The celebration coincides with the figure skating competition at the Spokane Arena.

“I expect that there are just going to be tons of people in Riverfront Park, so I think there’s going to be good momentum this year,” Parrish said.

On Sunday, Kootenai Environmental Alliance will celebrate Earth Day at the Coeur d’Alene Library.

This year’s event is all about trees, said Sharon Bosley, KEA’s outreach and development director. Various groups will be handing out seedlings to plant, and there will be information about how to help trees damaged in last fall’s windstorm as well as how to replace lost trees – including options for free trees.

New activities this year include poetry readings and birds of prey demonstrations from Idaho Fish and Game.

Attendees can bring shirts or other items to be screen printed, or purchase shirts at the fair. One of the designs was created by third-grader Kaya Neilson, who won the alliance’s art contest.

Music, a fun run (1:30 p.m.) and flash mob yoga (1:45) will round out the event, Bosley said.

“It’s looking like the weather will be nice,” Bosley said, so the yoga session will likely be outside.