The weather was a little bit of everything, as Mother Earth loves to do to us, on the day we celebrate her!  In rain, hot sun that sent steam off the lodge roof, light sprinkles and clouds, hundreds of people of all ages joined the Middleton Stream Team at Creighton Pond Camp for an exciting afternoon.  People still rowed out to see the beaver lodge across the serene pond, found out just what an owl ate for dinner, and explored pond water critters with Essex Tech students. They lifted Earth Balls into the air with a giant parachute to the tune of Blue Planet by Raffi!  They danced to music that celebrated that we are united in supporting our planet.  Huge white bird puppets flew around outside to the delight of the youngsters and adults! Mammal displays, including Stream Team’s mascot, “Water”, the otter, taught that interest in our local wildlife leads to protection of crucial habitat. Bob Andrews of Mass Fish and Wildlife and the local Peary Family did a great job teaching kids to fish. They also donated a nice new Rod and reel for a raffle prize and awarded an impromptu pink rod prize to a girl that caught a huge bass, now safely released back into the pond! Rocky’s Hardware of Middleton donated a new wheelbarrow, and there were over thirty other exceptional raffle prizes. The highlight is always the much coveted stone birdbath created by Leon Rubchinuk every year. Vendors, such as “Knotty by Nature”, used recycled products to create art. Marty Jessel, our Bee Man, talked of protection for the bees and Masconoment environmental students educated patrons also. Sol Bean, our loyal supporter for all eleven years that the festival has existed, provided hot coffee for the rainy moments as well and crimson ice tea for when the sun shone hot and steamy! The Boy scouts had the older scouts cooking their famous Dutch oven stew and desserts; Pack 19 shared a cool water wall game made from recycled Plastic bottles.  The Ipswich River Watershed educated people about how to protect our river.  The Creighton Pond Day Camp is such a huge and outdoor beautiful area; with the covered pavilion and the indoor lodge we also had plenty of space for Judith Black, an interactive story teller, an owl presentation and the “water” puppet show.  The Stream team is very thankful to Lynn Boys and Girls Clubs for offering us the use of the private property and facility for the day. We also appreciate the generous donation made by member Kosta Prentakis for festival supplies.  Our mission is to encourage you to keep enjoying and protecting our local wild places, including our Ipswich River and wetlands. Many species, including humans, depend on healthy natural ecosystems and biodiversity!  As you remember all the Mother’s this month, please take a moment to help Mother Earth!  
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