The Eno River Association will host its 45th annual Festival for the Eno this summer to celebrate the history of the Eno River, its people, and promote environmental awareness.
Every Fourth of July weekend since 1980, between 10-20,000 community members have gathered at West Point on the Eno Durham City Park for the event, enjoying food, live performances, and crafts for a day of fun along the river.
Established in 1966, the Eno River Association works to acquire lands and waters along the Eno River Basin for natural, historical, and cultural preservation. The organization’s Director of External Engagement Darlene Fiscus said the festival is a way to honor the natural resource’s history and bring attention to the group’s conservation efforts.
“It really helps to celebrate the historic and cultural aspect of our community,” she said. “Groups that have relied, for generations, on the wealth of resources from and around the Eno River Basin.”
The land protection conservation organization is one of the oldest land-trusts in North Carolina, but Fiscus said it’s unique in its emphasis on environmental education for both youth and adults. Year-round, the association strives to empower the community to address, prevent, and solve environmental issues through hands-on learning programs, guided hikes, and summer camps, but Fiscus said EnoFest is the organization’s biggest outreach event of the year.
“The festival is really about getting more people involved, building the next generation of advocates and protectors of our great resource,” she said.
Education Manager Audrey Gentry said the group is currently implementing a new strategic conservation plan. She said the plan will reframe the way it acquires land along the Eno River, emphasizing community engagement in helping prioritize land for protection. Fiscus said it will also help address the increasing urbanization throughout Durham and Raleigh communities that extends to the watershed.
“Our watershed is urbanizing and this hasn’t happened in the past year. So we at the River Association understand that we need to work differently,” she said.
The plan will also focus on communities affected by climate change, specifically those that are underrepresented in conservation planning.
This year’s festival will take place between 10 a.m and 6 p.m on July 4 and 6. An all-ages event, Fiscus said there will be more than 120 arts and crafts and nonprofit business vendors and more than 60 performers. Kids can even get their feet wet in the river with hands-on educational activities centered around environmental protection.
Visit EnoRiver.org to purchase tickets, stay updated on the conservation plan, and get involved with the group.
To listen to the full interview with Fiscus and Gentry, click here.
Featured image via Eno River Association
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