Big Ditch Park Day!

                Silver City MainStreet and the Gila Conservation Education Center are coordinating the 3rd Annual Big Ditch Day Celebration on Saturday, July 19, from 9:00 am to1:00 pm, down in the Big Ditch Park, from Main Street Plaza to the Visitor Center in historic downtown Silver City.  And it’s FREE!

Parking and information are available at the Silver City Visitor Center and the Silver City Farmer’s Market.  Self-guided Ditch Discovery Hikes will highlight natural and cultural history.  Guides are available at the Visitor’s Center or at the Farmers Market.

Start at the Visitor’s Center parking lot, cross the Market Street Pedestrian Bridge to Big Ditch Park, and descent at the historic Elizabeth Warren House to the festivities where the San Vicente Creek flows through a lush riparian area.

The Silver City Lions Club will offer a breakfast menu from 8:00 to11:30 am. The Silver City Farmers Market offers wonderful locally grown produce from 8:30 am to noon.

The Big Ditch Crickets will perform and teach traditional dances.  And, watch for encounters with historical characters from our past including Sheriff Pat Garrett, Madame Brewer, Elizabeth Warren, and others.

Bonnie Buckley Maldonado and Elise Stuart will offer “Secrets of the Big Ditch” with creative activities and poetry readings from 10:00 am to noon.

Make puppets and music with the Monsoon Puppet folks from 9:00 am to 12:45 pm.  Materials will be provided and bring your own accordion, kazoo, guitar, saxophone, conga drum, or other instrument.

Silver City Watershed Keepers Andrew Lindlof and Gabe Gilmore are coordinating water activities behind the Silver City Food Co-op from 9:00 am to 11:00 am.  And, Adrienne Booth and The Gila Conservation Education Center will have a workshop on creating colorful prints from natural objects from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm .

A Big Ditch Park Clean-up will take place prior to Saturday and interesting “found objects”will be on display at the Farmers Market.  Previous clean-ups have uncovered antique mining equipment, historic signs, and much more!

The Silver City Neighborhood Alliance will be there with its Graffiti Gone program — let’s all work together to help make the Big Ditch Park and the San Vicente Creek a wonderful place to visit.

For more info, contact Lucy Whitmarsh 575-574-8394 or lmwk@dishmail.net

or Adrienne Booth 505-819-9651 or 575-388-8265