by Tess Goldmann, Education Committee Chair

Spring has sprung, wood frogs are singing, the herring are about to run, and Plymouth’s Herring Run Festival is returning once again! The Fest will, as always, be held at the Plimoth Grist Mill and along Town Brook Park. This year, the herring swim on Saturday, April 26th from 10 am to 3 pm. The rain date is the following day, same time.

Just as the herring return to the same rivers every year, our ever-popular herring run obstacle course will be back again! Kids of all ages (including some adults!) will get to crawl over dams, past predators, and up a fish ladder on their way to drop off their ping pong ball ‘eggs’ at their breeding pond. Last year, our intrepid counters told me that 120 different herring – I mean children completed the course and got to slide all the way back to the ocean.

The Herring Fest doesn’t just have herring, though the town’s Department of Energy and the Environment will be showing off some real river herring and eels. Many other local nonprofits will have activities and information about how to get more involved in town! Food and entertainment will also be present, such as the Filling Station food truck, Indie Firm’s beer garden, and the Shaday Roosters root rock band. Plus, Salt the inflatable whale will be on site if the weather stays nice enough!

We would love any and all volunteers to help us on the day of the fest! If you have a couple of hours to help us set up (8-10am), pack up (3-4pm), assist obstacle course users, or talk to individuals about what HPWA does (anytime between 10am -3pm), please contact Education Committee chair Tess Goldmann at her email, tessgoldmann@aol.com.

Hope to see you there!