Special to The Journal

The 2007 Crenshaw County Groundwater Festival was held April 27, 2007, at LBW's Luverne Campus. Over 200 fourth graders from Crenshaw County schools participated in the event along with their teachers and over thirty volunteers.

The mission of the festival is to teach the fourth graders the importance of our groundwater resources and to educate them on the need to conserve and protect these resources. Volunteers included high school students, as well as local citizens, retirees, professionals, and agency personnel. The theme for this year's event was &#8220GroundwaterŠThe Treasure Beneath Our Feet.”

Each child participated in three hands-on activities that included the edible aquifer, a water cycle bracelet, and drop in a bucket. The activities enabled them to learn about different aspects of groundwater.

They were taught what groundwater is, where it is stored, how it is recycled, how life is dependent on it for survival, how it can be polluted and costly to cleanup, and just how little fresh water exists on our planet.

They were reminded that 100 percent of the water in Crenshaw County comes from groundwater.

Earlier in the year, fourth graders were asked to participate in an art contest to design the front of the festival t-shirt. Austin Odom of Luverne Elementary School had the winning design. Each participant, teacher, volunteer, and sponsor received a complimentary festival t-shirt. Sponsors/partners for the event are listed on the shirts.

The event was free to participants and was funded by donations. Sponsors of the event were:

ADEM, Alabama Clean Water Partnership, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Alabama Rural Water Association, Blue Bell, Brantley Bank & Trust Company, Choctawhatchee, Pea and Yellow Rivers Watershed Management Authority, Covington Electric Cooperative, Crenshaw County Board of Education, Crenshaw County Commission, Crenshaw County Farmers Federation, Crenshaw County Soil & Water Conservation District, First Citizens Bank, First South Farm Credit, Hudson Engineering, Quint-Mar Water Authority, South Alabama Electric Cooperative, South Crenshaw Water Authority, The First National Bank of Dozier.

Ruby Raindrop, the festival mascot, greeted the fourth graders as they arrived on the campus and also visited with them throughout the morning.

The main goal of the festival was to educate the children about all aspects of water and other related natural resources and to instill in them a general environmental awareness and stewardship ethic.

This goal was achieved in a fun and festive atmosphere. The festival planning committee would like to thank all sponsors, volunteers, and participants who helped make the festival a success.