FAIRHOPE, Ala. — April 23 will see vendors, volunteer groups, bands, games, a film festival and activities for youngsters at Fairhope Municipal Pier and Park at the west end of Fairhope Avenue. The event begins at 10 a.m. and runs to 7 p.m.

It's the 22nd annual Earth Day Mobile Bay celebration, and according to Publicity Chair Carol Adams-Davis, “It should be a lot of fun.”

Admission to the event is free, and there will be free BRATS shuttle buses to and from the Ecor Rouge (former Food World) shopping center to the site. The buses are sponsored by the Sierra Club Foundation, Adams-Davis said.

“The idea is to bring organizations and agencies together to show how you can work on the environment year-round,” said Adams-Davis. “Taking care of the environment is taking care of the economy.”

In addition to the earth-friendly products and techniques, the celebration will also serve to showcase what Gary Gover, a Fairhope resident and the president and a member of the board of directors of Earth Day Mobile Bay, called “small, simple steps that anyone can take” to make the environment better.

“The event is very broad,” Gover said. “Especially in Coastal Alabama, there are lots of environmental issues that are not adequately addressed, like air quality.”

Everyday people making everyday decisions can do a lot, he added.

“We are looking to raise general environmental awareness. Actions affect everything on the web.”

While there is already a lot gong on, Gover noted there will also be a non-denominational “blessing of the animals” at the event. Animal groups will hold pet adoptions. The Mobile Museum of Art will have a program for youngsters. New 2011/2012 hybrid cars will be displayed. A variety of “hands-on” exhibits will be available for people to experience.

Gover said there will be a drum circle, yoga and tai chi demonstrations.

Both Gover and Adams-Davis spoke of the electronics recycling event that will be held at Earth Day. All attending are invited to bring old TVs computers, cell phones and other electronics. The city of Fairhope, Gover says, is sponsoring the event and will make sure through its Department of Public Works that the items are disposed of properly. He said several truckloads of waste have been disposed of in years past.

Computers and televisions present special problems for recycling because of the toxic metals such as cadmium and lead used in their manufacture.

“If you take old computer monitors and TVs,” he said, “the glass was leaded glass. An average TV has about six pounds of lead in the glass.”

The event website, www.earthdaymobilebay.org, states that Daphne Utilities will accept used cooking oil and grease to produce bio-diesel. Baldwin County officials will be on hand to accept aluminum, plastic and cardboard items, and the EPA will accept light bulbs that contain mercury.

“We want people to come on down and wander around,” said Gover. “The park is delightful and it’s a nice, relaxed atmosphere.”