(In response to ‘CreekFest carnival set for Lane Car Co. location,? The Citizen, May 5, page 5.)
Dear Editor,
A festival that is part of a state appreciation day for all of our Michigan waterways; a carnival is the last thing we need and defeats the purpose of Creekfest.
There was no mention in the article that CreekFest is part of a state wide recognition and conservancy effort! Nor was there a mention of the Flint watershed of which we are a part of.
There was no mention in the article about our trout stream designation and how we need to work diligently to preserve it and how CreekFest was designed to demonstrate that and more.
CreekFest is an educational, environment awareness day, a day to learn about, remediate and preserve our environment in a fun way; sharing.
It’s a diagnosis update kind of day.
CreekFest was specifically developed as a water conservancy effort.
CreekFest was about sparking ideas and interest on how we can leave less of a footprint on land and streams. And have fun doing it.
It was about bringing alternatives to the forefront.
CreekFest was at one time inclusive of the arts, sharing the effect of the stream on us as individuals.
It has been something of a one-stop information hub and usually included a lot of science.
The fun activities at CreekFest are there to encourage more appreciation in the next generation. For adults, it’s adding sugar to a bitter pill. Fun is had in the spirit of hope.
CreekFest is about the quality of interest and not a body count. There is a need for decorum; no matter how much fun is had, the waterways in Ortonville are sick.
The fact is, that if people aren’t attending CreekFest, they aren’t interested. Or perhaps the information isn’t getting out accurately?
CreekFest was about diligence, integrity, consistency, activism, awareness, responsibility, health and well-being, demonstration and example.
It seems that CreekFest has lost its vision and purpose. If CreekFest has to become self-defeating to maintain, then it’s time to call it a close out of respect to the cause.
CreekFest isn’t the party theme for carnivals, midways and gas-guzzlers.
Margaret Heller