NEWS RELEASE from Township of Langley:
A family-friendly extravaganza that celebrates our local rivers and the importance of
the environment returns to the Township of Langley on Sunday, September 22.
The BC Rivers Day Community Festival will be held from 11:00am to 3:00pm at the
Derek Doubleday Arboretum, at 21200 Fraser Highway. Registration is not required for the
free event, which will feature a variety of activities and entertainment designed to get people
of all ages thinking about the environment around us and the many ways we can care for it.
“The Township is home to over 700 km of rivers, creeks and streams, and we need to
be good environmental stewards,” said Township of Langley Environmental Coordinator
Meaghan Norton Daniel. “Rivers Day has become a much-loved tradition because there are
so many fun things to do and explore. Visitors can enjoy the entertainment, see
demonstrations, and take part in all kinds of activities, all while learning about animals and
their habitat, and the many programs and projects that are in place in Langley to protect our
waterways and ecosystems.”
Presented by the Township of Langley and the Langley Environmental Partners
Society (LEPS), the BC Rivers Day Community Festival will include a costume parade,
animal displays, gold panning, story time, and face painting. Guests can climb a wall, build
a birdhouse, and listen to music from the Genuine Jug Band and Well Worn Trail. A free hot
dog barbecue will also be offered at noon, and guests are encouraged to bring their own
refillable drink containers.
Parking is limited at the Derek Doubleday Arboretum but there is plenty of parking at
the nearby Langley Secondary School, where a community shuttle will connect visitors to
the festival every 15 minutes. Parking and the shuttle are free. As well, free valet bike
parking will be available to encourage the public to cycle to the Arboretum, for the sake of
their health and the environment.
Derek Doubleday Arboretum is full of sturdy, accessible trails that will allow visitors to
walk, wheel, or ride through the site, which is home to the Nicomekl River, the Langley
Demonstration Garden, and the new Rotary Interpretive Center.
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Rivers Day kicks off WaterWeeks 2019, a three-week series held each year by the
Township of Langley and LEPS to encourage community engagement and environmental
stewardship. During WaterWeeks, the public can learn about protecting our watercourses,
groundwater, and wildlife habitats through free activities that include presentations,
storytelling, tours, cleanups, and plantings.