Camp Bayou Nature Notes: Watershed Tent at the Ruskin Tomato Festival

The Watershed Tent will include fun and relevant information about our natural environment, coordinated by the Camp Bayou Outdoor Learning Center. It includes organizations such as Hillsborough County Cooperative Extension, Keep Hillsborough County Beautiful, Florida Department of Forestry, Florida Master Naturalists and more! There will be speakers and demonstrations as well as interactive booths. The Watershed Tent is free with your paid admission to the Ruskin Tomato Festival. Click here for flyer

Schedule of Watershed tent speakers and workshops:

Saturday:

10am- Welcome to Your Watershed- Watershed Tent opens with activities and freebies from various enviro orgs.

11am- Water-Wise with Maria Carver of Hillsborough County Cooperative Extension

Noon- Rainbarrels with Lynn Barber of Hillsborough County Cooperative Extension

1pm- Composting with Barbara Watson of Hillsborough County Cooperative Extension

2pm- Native Plants in the Landscape

3pm- Grow your own tomatoes- Pot up a tomato seedling and learn how to grow the best tomatoes in the neighborhood! Plus storytime with "These Florida Farms!"

4pm- TBA

Sunday- all day Nature Crafts including an ongoing Art in Recycling workshop

plus hourly Guided Walks to do some beachcombing- fun for all ages!

Tomato & Heritage Festival Returns to Ruskin May 2 & 3

Once again Ruskin Florida celebrates its agricultural heritage roots at the annual Ruskin Tomato & Heritage Festival. Always the first weekend in May, this year's event is on Saturday May 2 and Sunday May 3. Featured performers include a tribute to Patsy Cline by Caroline Cline as well as local talent such as Paul Carr. This year in addition to our main stage we are adding a second stage for local country and western performers to come together to "jam."

Free tomato plants will be given out each day while supplies last. Even if you miss out on a plant you can still enjoy free tomato slices. Tomato sandwiches will be prepared sold by Ye Royal Krewe of Charlotte DeBerry as a fundraiser. There will also be produce stands open including one by SweetBay Supermarket where you can purchase fresh tomatoes and other vegetables. You won't go hungry with the many food returning food vendors. Enjoy down home foods including fried green tomatoes and juices.

Vendors will be bringing crafts, jewelry, sauces, spices and clothing items. Many of our local non-profit organizations will be on hand with helpful information. Plant vendors will be bringing decorative potted flowers, landscaping plants and fruit trees.

Our Heritage Village will include a vintage tractor show and demonstrations by a blacksmith, wood lathe worker and old-time trapper. Learn how a spinning wheel works, how to hook a rug or make corn husk dolls, cane a chair & get honey from a comb.

There will be a Children's Court to keep the little ones amused with Cowboy Attractions: obstacle course, bounce house, mechanical bull, euro bungee, air brush tattoo, pony rides and face painting. Also this year Home Depot will bring out their kids Workshop to help make useful projects.

The Festival is the major fund raiser for the Ruskin Community Development Foundation, Inc., a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation, established to improve life in the Ruskin area. Your sponsorship, whether in actual dollars or in-kind donation, will go a long way in supporting the many ongoing projects of the RCDF.

Event Location:

E. G. Simmons County Park

2401 - 19th Avenue N.W

Ruskin, Florida

Hours:

Saturday, May 2, 2009, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Sunday, May 3, 2009, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Admission:

Adults - $5

Children 12 and under FREE

Website:

http://www.ruskintomatofestival.org/

Press Photos available at: