Natural Resources Board finalizes Earth Day, Arbor Day plans as vendor capacity nears

The Natural Resources Board on April 1 reviewed final logistics for the city’s Earth Day and Arbor Day celebration at Riverview Park and confirmed the event will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with vendor sign-ups closed after the board reached near-capacity.

Board staff member Felicia told members that “As of 03/26/2025, we had 69 vendors,” and that the number had increased since then; staff removed vendor links from the event website and stopped accepting applications. She said organizers expect to finish assigning booth locations and that seed-packet envelopes and seeds have been ordered for a giveaway activity.

The event map distributed in the agenda packet shows vendor booths clustered in the same location as the previous year, with the waste management shredding and electronic-recycling activity moved to the south overflow parking lot to improve traffic flow. Felicia said vendors should enter the overflow lot from Indian River Drive and that staff increased the number of food vendors to six after this year’s applications.

Why it matters: the celebration is the board’s largest spring outreach event and uses a large portion of the board’s events budget. Many details — volunteer coverage, booth spacing and stage logistics — must be in place for the day to proceed smoothly.

Board members discussed volunteer coverage and setup. Felicia said organizers will request cadets from the NJROTC to assist with setup and other event tasks. Charles volunteered to be on site all day and to coordinate early setup; other board members signed up for two-hour blocks at the Natural Resources booth (examples: Matt 10 a.m.–1 p.m.; Paul 12–2 p.m.; Donna 2–3 p.m.). Felicia asked for at least two board members to staff the NRB booth at any time and noted one master of ceremonies should be on stage at all times.

Layout and activities: chalk art will be held under the pavilion; the Twin Piers area will host a buffer shoreline planting with ORCA. The scavenger hunt for children will be printed at roughly half size to make it easier for walking participants. Felicia said the team is considering a raffle policy requiring winners to be present to collect prizes; she also said raffle items will be limited to a smaller number this year (roughly two prize drawings per hour) to keep the raffle manageable.

On entertainment, the board has contracted Thunder House Sound for sound production; Felicia said the contractor will provide speakers and microphones and that organizers requested “filler music” between stage sets. The board discussed allowing environmentally themed filler music but acknowledged the vendor may play popular radio selections.

Operations and spacing: Felicia explained booth spacing standards — generally a 10-foot booth with four feet between booths, with accommodations for larger ten-by-twenty setups — and noted food trucks will be aligned to fit available space. Board members discussed flagging and marking booth spots during early setup; staff suggested an early morning layout starting around 6 a.m. and discussed the possibility of laying flags the night before, but noted past issues with missing flags and animals disturbing markers.

Giveaways and sponsors: the scavenger-hunt prize is river-cruise tickets sponsored by Captain Hiram’s and purchased via Sebastian Daley, Felicia said. Carolyn Baldwin will again assist with the butterfly displays, and Parks and Recreation and Facilities Director Richard Blankenship has assisted with ordering seed-packet envelopes.

Budget and staffing notes: Felicia reminded the board that much of the special-events budget is typically spent on Earth Day and suggested reviewing remaining funds after the event to plan fall and winter activities. She also asked members to consider supply needs for later events such as the holiday parade because special-events allocations do not roll over.

What’s next: staff will produce a final schedule showing each board member’s two-hour shift and circulate an updated vendor map. Organizers will confirm whether setup flags will be laid the night before or the morning of the event and will follow up on additional volunteer recruitment for early setup and teardown.