COUNTYWIDE : Many Events Are Planned for Earth Day

What on earth will people be doing in Ventura County this weekend? Celebrating it.

Sunday officially marks the 20th anniversary of Earth Day, an organized show of concern for the condition of the planet.

A week’s worth of celebrating the anniversary of this event locally will culminate with activities both today and Sunday.

From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today, the city of Ventura and the Ventura Environmental and Energy Education Council will combine Earth Day activities with the annual Land-by-the-Sea Fair at Ventura Harbor Village on Spinnaker Drive.

There will be free entertainment, with the feature attraction for adults being the appearance of Grammy-award winning jazz artist Larry Carlton. He will perform at the Beach Stage from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Before Carlton, the Acousticats (bluegrass) will perform from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., the Convertibles (oldies rock) from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and The Voices of the Forest (Afro-Caribbean) from 1:15 to 2:15 p.m.

For children, the Banana Slug String Band will deliver its environmental message at the Amphitheater Stage from 11 a.m. to noon.

Activities will include an open house on the Clean Seas Oil Recovery Ship, boat cruises, trivia contests for adults and children, an ecological treasure hunt and a bird walk.

There will also be 60 exhibitions set up throughout the day, including exhibits by Starship Earth, Ventura County Water Conservation and the California Conservation Corps.

In Westlake Village, from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. today, students from Lindero Middle School will hold a garage sale at Bennett Park. During the sale, they will drop smoke bombs onto a 3 1/2-foot globe, and play catch with stink bombs to illustrate the effects of pollution.

On Sunday, the city of Oxnard invites residents to come to Oxnard State Beach Park at 1601 Harbor Blvd. from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with old newspapers and telephone books to recycle.

Amid the recycling, from noon to 4 p.m., there will be about 30 exhibitors, including the Environmental Coalition, the Sierra Club and Oxnard Beautiful. There will also be presentations from representatives of a waste-water treatment plant and the Oxnard Water District.

At Cal Lutheran University, the Tri-Valley Environmental Committee will begin the day with an interdenominational service at 9:30 a.m. Entertainment and exhibitions are scheduled throughout the day, highlighted by a Rainforest Action Network forum from 12:30 p.m.to 1:30 p.m., an art show from noon to 6 p.m., an interactive theater presentation from 2:30 p.m.to 4:30 p.m., and a concert by the rock group Collective Vision.

In Camarillo, a community picnic is scheduled from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Valle Lindo Park with entertainment and an information table.