Homestead to go green with Eco Fair this Saturday

The city of Homestead is celebrating nature this Saturday as the city hosts its first Eco-Fair in the historic downtown.

Visitors can take a nature photography workshop, take part in an organic cooking demonstration, see the ballet perform and touch wild animals from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday at Losner Park, 104 N. Krome Ave.

The fair will highlight the Homestead National Parks Trolley, a project that had been spearheaded by Vice Mayor Stephen Shelley so the city would become a gateway into the two national parks that border it.

The trolley provides a free ranger-guided tour to Biscayne and Everglades National Parks every weekend from November to April.

Several city groups and organizations will take part in the event, including the Everglades Association, the Everglades Bicycle Club, the Florida Native Plant Society and the Homestead City Ballet.

During the fair, the South Florida National Parks Camera Club will hold a special nature photography tour and workshop on selected trolley tours to the parks. The Youth Fishing Foundation will be hosting a special fishing demonstration and the National Park Service will provide a kayaking demonstration.

“Around the time of the trolley launch [this year], we thought to have a fair that would focus on the trolley service and bring together all these organizations,” said Shelley, who founded the South Florida National Parks Camera Club and sits on the board of directors and is the treasurer of the Youth Fishing Foundation.

Miami-Dade County residents can exchange three old light bulbs for energy saving compact fluorescent light bulbs and exchange up to two water-wasting shower heads for water efficient models, courtesy of the Miami-Dade County Extension Office.

The event also includes book giveaways and food truck vendors at the park.

This story was originally published February 2, 2015 at 7:36 PM with the headline "Homestead to go green with Eco Fair this Saturday."