ECO Fair

"ECO Fair" is in the large white text above "Artful Living, Handmade & Homegrown," at the bottom right of the image and over a close-up of bright red, purple, and orange flowers.

ECO Fair

Save the Date! Saturday, May 6, 2023
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. rain or shine

In partnership with the Authority of Cumberland County, WheatonArts presents the 16th annual ECO Fair, a FREE Family Day event inspired by natural and artful living! ECO Fair, a campus-wide event, features local gardening clubs, including Rutgers Master Gardeners with various plants and herbs for sale, handmade works of New Jersey artists, environmental organizations, Nature Trail tours, eco-friendly activities for families, and more. 

Admission to all WheatonArts exhibits and artist studio demonstrations are free and open to the public for the day, part of WheatonArts Family Days presented by PNC Arts Alive! 

Give us your zip code at the gate and receive a FREE Eco-shopping bag, courtesy of the Cumberland County Improvement Authority! While supplies last. 

Rutgers Master Gardener’s Plant Sale

The Rutgers Master Gardeners of Cumberland County focus on growing native, pollinator-friendly plants and Rutgers varieties. Stock up on a wide variety of flowers, vegetables, herbs, trees, and shrubs. To attract pollinators to your yard, buy native flowers like milkweed, joe pye weed, and bee balm. Native shrubs like summersweet, viburnum, and dogwood will keep the birds happy! Build your herb garden with offerings of parsley, basil, chives, oregano, and more. Try growing some unique vegetables like shishito peppers, okra, and tomatillos. Many traditional vegetable crops like eggplants, tomatoes, and peppers will also be available. Plan Ahead: Bring a box or wagon if you plan on buying a lot of plants! 

Visit the Rutgers Master Gardeners booth for Helpline on the Road, to submit your gardening and lawn questions to be answered by the Master Gardeners!

Attendees of a previous ECO Fair event admire and shop for varieties of plants arranged on a vendor table. Different color tents, other attendees, and trees stand in the background.
A child rolling red ink onto the rings of pre-cut log, the first step to create a Tree Ring Print.

FREE Family Art Activities

Paper Beads
Paper beads have endless possibilities! Learn to create paper beads from strips of scrapbook paper by rolling them into oval and tube-shaped beads.

Pom-Pom Ice Cream Cones
Create an ice cream cone for pretend play and learn how to use yarn to make pom poms representing scoops of ice cream.

Dried Bean Mosaics
Make a natural-toned, highly-textured work of art with dried beans & cardboard! A variety of colorful dried beans will be available.

Fused Glass Magnet, Pendant, or Suncatcher (fee-based)
Create a fused glass magnet, pendant, or suncatcher beginning with pre-fused glass blanks. Using small pre-cut pieces of glass and an assortment of accessory glass, including frit and stringers, create a design to be tack fused. After firing your fused glass, our artists will attach a bail, magnet, or leather cord, depending on your project choice. In one week, completed glass projects will be ready to pick up or ship (for a fee). This glass fusing activity has a discounted fee of $10 per magnet/pendant and $20 per suncatcher. 

1 p.m. – Speaker Larry Niles, Ph.D.

A wildlife and habitat-restoration biologist, Dr. Niles has worked in wildlife research and management since 1974. His current focus is on the region’s horseshoe crabs and shorebirds concentrations. In his talk, Larry will address the reasons behind the decline of shorebirds worldwide, focusing on the iconic Delaware Bayshore species, the Red Knot. He will explain how the best hope for Red Knot recovery is restoring Horseshoe Crab populations, whose eggs are a primary food source for this migratory species and many other shorebirds. Presented by the CU of Maurice River. Let us know if you’ll be attending by registering in advance here. Walk-ins welcomed! 

The Magic of Recycling with Magician Bill Kerwood

Laugh & learn with this magical comedy while learning exactly how to recycle in Cumberland County. Discover simple yet amazing tricks that you can do for your friends & family again & again. Presented by the Authority of Cumberland County.

Keep Cumberland County Beautiful

Visit The Authority booth to learn how to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Play the “Know What to Throw” recycle education game and get creative by designing your own reusable bag!

A close-up of speaker Dr.Niles wearing a blue hat and a black vest sitting on a chair on the beach next to a seagull mid-flight.
Magician Bill Kerwood surrounded by children.

12 p.m. – “The Great Compost Heap” Author Visit & Composting Workshop

Learn how to compost like a pro! Join author Renaee Smith for a composting workshop and free book signing. While supplies last, one book per family. Presented by The Authority of Cumberland County.

The City of Millville Recycles Right

Visit the City of Millville Recycling Department booth to learn how to recycle right! Grab some recycling information, promotional surprises, and download the free “Recycle Coach” app to learn more about how to recycle in your municipality. Presented by the City of Millville Recycling Department.

Meet Your Local AmeriCorps NJ Watershed Ambassador

The AmeriCorps NJ Watershed Ambassador Program promotes watershed stewardship through education and direct community involvement while raising awareness of how human activities affect water quality. Meet your local Watershed Ambassador and learn how benthic macroinvertebrates indicate water quality and how you can continue to keep your local streams healthy! Presentations occur every hour; walk-ups are welcome! Presented by the NJ AmeriCorps Watershed Ambassadors.

This image is a close-up of the ECO Fair Indian Earth Mandala demonstration with artist Rita Pundyu, presented by a light blue circle. Red & pink border accents are formed with beads by two hands belonging to different people. There is an orange, light blue, dark blue, and pink pattern in the center.
Two women from ECO Fair hot glass demonstrators are a part of Remark Glass. They are holding several glass bottles and are surrounded by racks of glass bottles.

Indian Earth Mandala with Ritu Pandya

1 p.m. to 4 p.m. – New Jersey master artist Ritu Pandya invites ECO Fair attendees to participate in creating a mandala using leaves, flowers, tree branches, stones, and other materials found in nature. “Mandala” is a Sanskrit word meaning circle, universe, and essence. It is an ephemeral or temporary art form that helps creators better understand concepts like the impermanence of life or a holistic healing of body, mind, soul, and environment. Earth mandalas are created every year as a way to honor the seasons changing during the spring and fall equinoxes. 

Remark Glass

Watch hot glassmaking demonstrations by artists from Remark Glass as they create vessels made exclusively with recycled bottle glass. Founded in 2016 and based out of Philadelphia, Remark Glass is a zero-waste certified, woman-owned business focused on innovative and creative glass reuse.

Large-scale Murals

Witness a public demonstration of a large-scale 8×8 foot painting by mural artist and glass painter J. Kenneth Leap. He has embellished buildings and outdoor structures all over the world. His goal when designing artwork is to spin a visual narrative for the viewer to get lost in something beautiful, entertaining, and educational. He investigates local histories and searches for community themes to become his subject matter. The resulting artwork celebrates each community’s unique narrative.

10:30 a.m. – Nature Trail Tour & Scavenger Hunt with Naturalists

Walk the WheatonArts Nature Trail and join the Scavenger Hunt at 10:30 a.m. Both the young and young-at-heart can participate at their leisure. Naturalists will be stationed along the trail to help with the hunt and to answer questions along the walk. Be among the first 50 to complete the hunt and receive an official WheatonArts Nature Trail Explorer button! Led by CU Maurice River Naturalists and Nature Enthusiasts. 

There are two boxes of recycled crazy crayons boxed and unboxed and arranged on a white workspace.

Crayon Recycling

Imagine how many ways we can all reduce, reuse, & recycle to nurture our planet to create a better tomorrow. One easy way to help is by participating in Crazy Crayon’s National Crayon Recycling Program, and WheatonArts is a collection site! Bring your old crayons to the General Store at WheatonArts to be recycled during ECO Fair.

40+ Vendors: Local Artists, Garden Clubs, & Enivornmental Groups

Artists & Handmade
Aritimi Design Studio
Art Glass Inspirations
Beads on Cypress
Beautiful Botanicals
Bethany Smiles Designs
Cherelle Oriolo
Cowdog Tie Dye
Dragonfly Botanicals
Domenick Maggio
Dye of Your Dreams
Galactic Soup Art
Gourds By Bruce
Happy Goats Soap
Hop Edward Wood Carving
Hou Tien Cheng
Nature Photography by Phillip
Njeri Studios
Shady Exotics
Stouch Studios
WheatonArts Potters

Live Music

From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., enjoy live musical entertainment by South Jersey’s PackageGoods Orchestra band!

Environmental & Non-Profit Organizations
American Littoral Society
Americorps NJ Watershed Ambassadors Program
Appel Farm Arts & Music Center
City of Millville Recycling Coach
Creating Health
Cumberland Co. Department of Tourism
Cumberland Co. Mosquito Control Division
CU Maurice River
Food & Water Watch
Natural Vineland
Quaker Bakers
Regional Family Support Planning Council #8
The Authority
Tori’s Critters
White Cloud Therapy

Nurseries, Garden Clubs, & Farms
BeeCool Pollination & Honey
Cedar Knoll Farms / Kimberly English Art
Countryside Garden Club of NJ
Earth & Sky Nursery
J L Mixner Nursery
Kumarie’s Organic Garden
Lavender & Old Lace
Murphys Farm Market
Nutty Novelties
Rutgers Master Gardeners of Cumberland Co.
The Great Full Garden

Food & Refreshments

Chef Steve’s Popcorn
Creeks Edge Catering
Matty G’s Dogz, LLC
Tacos Al Carbon
The Sweet Tooth
Top Shelf Mobile Cuisine
Twisted Lemonade
Crowd of children and adults exploring the booths at the ECO Fair.

Please check this page for updates as the event gets closer. Thank you!

Logos for "The Authority: Improving Your Tomorrow.", "Rutgers: New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station." and "CU Maurice River." All logos are against a gray and white checkered background.
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