Remember when field day was the highlight of each elementary school year's conclusion?
You and your friends can recapture that free-spirited feeling and team camaraderie by putting a team in Eco Field Day, which will take place in Miller Park on April 26-27. This new event is being sponsored by GreenSpaces.
"In the past, we've been asked to go to many Earth Day events; UTC had one, Chattanooga Zoo, EPB. So we decided it would be good to come together and host one big event for the city," says Dawn Hjelseth, director of GreenSpaces.
If you go
› What: Eco Field Day› Where: Miller Park, 910 Market St.› When: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday, April 26; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, April 27› Admission: Friday games $125 per team of five, spectators free; Saturday events free› For more information: 423-648-0963
Friday is the day for friendly competition - but not too friendly, there is a trophy involved - in the Corporate/Adult Field Day Challenge. All the events are eco-themed, such as:
* Tug o' Watt: Based on tug of war, except EPB has provided an electric cable with a light bulb suspended in the middle for teams to pull.
* Electric Scooter Races: Adventure Sports Innovation hosts this race through a cone course.
* Dung Beetle Roll: Chattanooga Zoo's event involves doing a crab walk while pushing a beach ball.
* Bird Box Challenge Wheelbarrow Races: Unum hosts these races in which one person pushes a team member sitting in a wheelbarrow, who is blindfolded but must place softballs on top of cones. Then the blindfolded team member must pick them back up on the return trip. Good communication gets the win.
* Water Conservation Relay: In Tennessee American Water's event, each team gets a sponge and a bucket, passing them down the line, wringing out the sponge. The team with the most water in their bucket wins.
* Recycled Sack Races: Hop to the finish line in coffee sacks donated by Mad Priest Coffee.
* Kayak Pull: Outdoor Chattanooga's event puts a team member in a kayak while another team member pulls the kayak to the finish line.
These same challenges will be at the park on Saturday for visitors to try, although not as competitors.
There will be an art competition and show in the park both days. Hjelseth says anyone may enter an original artwork made only from recycled materials.
"We're encouraging them to use recycled materials to build their favorite animal. The theme of Earth Day 2019 is Species Preservation," she says.
Entries may be brought to the park on Friday, and will be displayed both days. Each artwork will have a box beside it in which visitors may drop dollars to vote for their favorites in a People's Choice Award. Proceeds will be divided between artist and GreenSpaces.
A family festival will be added Saturday only, with music, food trucks, electric race cars built by local students, eco-challenge stations and more activities. Free parking will be available in the EPB parking garage Saturday only from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Contact Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6284.