ECO Fair

"ECO Fair" is in large text at the top of the banner. Below that, in the small text is "Artful Living, Handmade & Homegrown." The background is a close-up of a field of several flowers with bright yellow petals.

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 15th 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. 

Become an ECO Fair Vendor!

We invite New Jersey artists & craftspeople to sell their handcrafted items during ECO Fair. We also invite local Nurseries, Garden Clubs, Greenhouses, Farm Products & Produce Merchants, Environmental & Non-Profit Organizations to apply for a booth during the event. Please refer to the application for additional information.

Application Deadline: April 10, 2023

Click Here for the 2023 Vendor Application for ECO Fair

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 scopes of ice cream.

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

Fused Glass Magnet or Pendant (fee-based)
Create a fused glass magnet or pendant, beginning with a 2″ x 2″ inch pre-fused glass blank. 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 glue a bail or a magnet to the back, depending on your project choice. In one week, completed glass magnets and pendants will be ready to pick up or ship (for a fee). This glass fusing activity has a discounted fee of $10 per piece. 

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!

Magician Bill Kerwood surrounded by children.

“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.

Scavenger Hunt with Naturalists

Walk the WheatonArts Nature Trail and join the Scavenger Hunt at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.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.

Below are the event details from 2022 for reference. Please check back at a later time as we plan an engaging 2023 program for everyone! Thank you.

40+ Vendors: Local Artists, Garden Clubs, & Enivornmental Groups (2022)

ANJEC
Appel Farm Arts & Music Center
Art In Motion Of Southern NJ
Atlantic County Utilities Authority
Beads on Cypress
Countryside Garden Club
Creating Health, LL T/A Environmental Purification Co
CU Maurice River
Cumberland Air Solutions
Cumberland County Department of Planning Tourism & Community Affairs
Cumberland County Mosquito Control Division
Deppenwood Products
Dye of Your Dreams

Happy Goats Soap Co.
Harvest Trading Post
Hou Tien Cheng – Chinese Paper Cutting
Hyland Trail Designs
Jalma Farms
J L Mixner Nursery
Lavender and Old Lace
Murphy’s Farm Market
Nedia Art
Photography by Dennis Abriola
Phyllis Seidner Pottery
Precios Art, LLC
Ralston “Hop” Edwards, Wood Carving
Ray Yoast, Wood Carving
Renewal By Andersen

Running With Scissors, Custom Quilts and Crafts
Rutgers Master Gardeners of Cumberland County
Samantha Bartlett Ceramics
South Jersey Artist Collective
South Shore Stitchers Quilt Guild
Southern NJ African Violet Club
Studio del Vetro
Sweet Pea
The Authority of Cumberland County
The Great Full Garden
Tori’s Critters LLC
Uniques
White Cloud Massage

Food & Refreshments (2022)

Black Bird Local
Frostbite
MattyG’s Dogz
Tacos Al Carbon
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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