MILLVILLE, NJ (April 22, 2016)  – Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center, in partnership with the Cumberland County Improvement Authority, presents Eco Fair: An Artful Living Event, Handmade and Homegrown on Saturday, May 7, 2016 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  Eco Fair, sponsored in part by TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is an all-day event that features the work of local artists and environmentally-focused activities and vendors.  This event is part of our Community Days, so admission is waived for all visitors for the entire day.

Event highlights include:

• University of Delaware professor and acclaimed author Dr. Doug Tallamy will present on the importance of your garden for local wildlife at 1:30 p.m. in the WheatonArts Event Center.  Tallamy, author of “Bringing Nature Home,” will sign copies of this award winning book (available for purchase at the Eco Fair) after his presentation.  Dr. Tallamy’s keynote speech is sponsored by Citizens United to Protect the Maurice River and its Tributaries and The Watershed Institute.
• Handmade work created by New Jersey artists and craftspeople available for purchase
• Hands-on craft activities for families, including Ready, Set, Start Your Seeds!, The Story of a Seed, Beaded Butterflies, and No Sew Farmer’s Market Bag (participants are asked to bring an old t-shirt for this activity)
• Rain barrel workshop (workshop is fee-based and requires preregistration, which can be accessed at wheatonarts.org)
• Wide selection of herbs, native trees and shrubs, wild flowers, pollinators, tomato plants, and other plants from a variety of vendors, which includes the Rutgers Master Gardeners of Cumberland County
• Rutgers Master Gardeners of Cumberland County-sponsored Butterfly Tent and accompanying children’s activities
• Wellness and healthy living information
• Live music by Package Goods Orchestra
• A variety of food and snack vendors

The Eco Fair offers something for everyone.  Whether it’s crafts for children in front of the Museum of American Glass, the high-energy tunes of the Package Goods Orchestra, the handmade artwork of dozens of artists, or simply strolling around the WheatonArts campus on a beautiful spring day, the Eco Fair Community Day is a fun-filled, family-friendly day.

Eco Fair, An Artful Living Event, Handmade and Homegrown is sponsored in part by TD Bank Corporation. TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is one of the ten largest banks in the U.S., providing more than eight million customers with a full range of retail, small business and commercial banking products and services at more than 1,300 convenient locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas and Florida.

WheatonArts is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Open Memorial Day, July 4 and Labor Day. For more information about WheatonArts, call 1-800-998-4552 or 856-825-6800, or visit online at wheatonarts.org. Please submit requests for press images to wheatonartsnews@wheatonarts.org.

For more information about the Cumberland County Improvement Authority, call 856-825-3700 or visit ccia-net.com.

WheatonArts strives to ensure the accessibility of its exhibitions, events and programs to all persons with disabilities. Please provide two weeks notice for additional needs. Patrons with hearing and speech disabilities may contact WheatonArts through the New Jersey Relay Service (TRS) 800-852-7899 or by dialing 711.

Funding has been made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts and the New Jersey Cultural Trust. WheatonArts receives general operating support from the New Jersey Historical Commission, Division of Cultural Affairs in the New Jersey Department of State, and is supported in part by the New Jersey Department of State, Division of Travel and Tourism.

###