NJ Weekend Events 24-25: Rutgers Day, Earth Day Festivals, Sheepshearing & Open Cockpits

4/22/10 - By Desiree

The Garden State is going green this weekend as we recycle, reuse, and extend the mid-week Earth Day activities.   Festivals, fairs, and celebrations with an environmentally friendly theme are plenty this weekend at Rutgers University, Liberty State Park, Liberty Science Center, Camden Children’s Garden, and the Morris Museum where kids can see movies, learn about the environment, get crafty with recyclables, and just have plain fun all to benefit our planet.  For those who feel that Earth Day should be celebrated in isolation with nature, this weekend’s your chance for a small guided canoe paddle through NJ’s marshes.  And with Spring in the air, some local Jersey farms are bringing out the sheers to de-fleece the sheep!  

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AG Field Day at Rutgers
(New Brunswick & Piscataway)
Participate in the world’s largest egg toss, see if your family weighs more than a horse, see all kinds of animals up close including bugs and farm animals, try out your martial art fighting skills against the black knight, make some tie dye clothes, and take home a souvenir of your own DNA. These are just a few of the many events going on at Rutgers as part of Rutgers Day, which has an even more extensive list of family friendly activities!  So pick a campus and enjoy the day!  Saturday from 10am to 4pm.  FREE.

Earth Day at Liberty State Park & Liberty Science Center
(Jersey City)
The highlight of this annual festival is the Kids Earth Day Kingdom with environment-themed displays, live entertainment, arts and crafts, inflatable rides, games, and food vendors.  Earth Day kicks off with at 5K run/walk along the waterfront.  FREE.  Feeling like you should do some volunteer work to celebrate Earth Day?  Meet at 10am at the Liberty Interpretive Center and help out with a beach clean-up.  Register in advance by emailing lspic@verizon.net. And make sure to wear closed toe shoes and sunscreen (and bring your water bottle) – protective gloves will be provided.  FREE.  At 2pm, cross the street to Liberty Science Center for Eco Boys and Girls.  Museum admission is $15.75 for adults and $11.50 for kids.

Earth Day & Arbor Day at Camden Children’s Garden
(Camden)
Camden Children's Garden is celebrating Earth Day with activities in the gardens, fun in the butterfly house, a ladybug release, crafts and more.  Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4pm.  Admission is $6 for adults and $5 for kids 3-11.

Spring Family Day at the Morris Museum (Morristown)
The Morris Museum goes green in honor of Earth Day. Join us for a day of inventive recycled crafts and environmental games. Get up close with reptiles, learn about garbology, listen to the Lorax by Dr. Seuss, and face painting are all part of the fun. Saturday from 11am to 4pm.  There are also two Improv 4 Kids performances on Saturday at the Museum’s Bayer Children’s Theater.  Museum admission is $10 for adults and $7 for kids 4 and up.  Theater tickets are $8 per person.

Guided Paddle Through the Sawmill Marsh (Seacaucus)
Bring your own canoe/kayak or rent one for a 2.5 hour guided paddle through the marsh in search of birds, turtles, muskrats and more.  Saturday from 11am to 1:30pm.  Cost is $25 per paddler and $10 per canoe passenger.  Age restrictions apply and advance registration is required.  Call 201 968-0808 to register.

Sheepshearing (Westfield & Holmdel)
Sheepshearing season in New Jersey is kicking off this weekend!  The Miller Cory House Museum in Westfield has their annual Sheep to Shawl Festival on Sunday from 1pm to 4pm. A master sheep shearer will sheer the sheep using 18th and 19th century techniques and there will be demonstrations in carding, spinning and weaving as well as home-baked treats for sale.  The event is FREE but donations to the museum are encourages.  Sheepshearing demonstrations will also be taking place both Saturday and Sunday from noon to 3pm at Historical Longstreet Farm where you can tour the historical farm and home complete with “interpreters in period dress” and see plenty of live animals.

Open Cockpit Day at the Aviation Hall of Fame
(Teterboro)
Take your young pilot for an imaginary ride on some real planes and sit in the cockpit of a real Martin 202A Airliner, Sikorsky HH-52 Coast Guard Helicopter, Lockheed 402-2 Bushmaster and bell AH-1 Cobra Attack helicopter. Saturday from 10am to 4pm.  Admission to the museum is $7 for adults, $5 for kids.