Even a little rain didn’t stop kids from the peninsula from having a good time celebrating Earth Day April 20. Instead of hosting the event out on their front lawn as in years past, Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library held it inside the fire station across the street.

Ten organizations participated in the festivities setting up tables showcasing research and methods of developing a greener thumb and recycling properly – Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay Region Land Trust, Boothbay Harbor Sewer District, Boothbay Region Refuse Disposal District, Committee for a Plastic Free Peninsula, Lincoln County Gleaners, Boothbay Sea and Science Center, and the Anchor Church.

Perhaps the most engaging organization for the kids was the Bugmobile from the Chewonki Traveling Natural History Program. Wildlife Educator Colleen Moureaux introduced to a wide crescent of kids and parents four different arthropod creatures – a rock crab, Chilean rose tarantula, Texas desert millipede, and an Annam walking stick.

Bigelow Labs showed off phytoplankton, a jellyfish about the size of a dime and barnacles feeding on plankton from a small rock – a sight many adults from the coast were surprised never to have noticed.

The Sewer District set up a shrunken version of wastewater treatment while CMBG, BRLT and the Sea and Science Center provided fun arts and crafts. Anchor Church provided a tutorial on starting seeds from a newspaper pot which can be planted right into the ground when ready for a permanent spot. The Committee for a Plastic Free Peninsula also provided a fun upcycling activity to give new life to old tee-shirts.

Asked what Earth Day means on a personal level to kids, one young girl, Maeve, could only manage: “A lot.”

“She’s just speechless,” said Anchor Church pastor Roger Ferrell handing Maeve her new planter.

Joey, first excited to talk about the train ride he, his dad and brother would take later, said he was excited to go back home and plant a tree.

“A flower tree!” Joey said.

For Inés, only one word could sum up her favorite part of Earth Day: “Bugs!”