FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — Residents gathered along the Rappahannock River today to celebrate Earth Day with a mix of environmental stewardship, family fun, and even goat cuddles.
The city’s annual Earth Day Festival, now in its 20th year, drew hundreds of visitors downtown for a day of activities focused on caring for the environment. This year’s festival also marked the 55th anniversary of the first Earth Day celebration in the United States.
Mayor Kerry Devine highlighted the city’s long-standing commitment to environmental preservation.
“Oh my gosh, I’m so excited because this is the 55th anniversary of Earth Day and Fredericksburg City has been celebrating it for over 20 years,” said Devine. “It just brings people out with an acknowledgment of how important our natural environment is. This is a city located on a beautiful river and it brings so many people down to the river and to the city as well.”
Devine noted that the city’s efforts to protect the Rappahannock River include a conservation easement to safeguard the river and its surrounding natural areas.
“We have a river easement to protect our river, and we just want to make sure that people understand it, take care of it, and value it the way the city does,” she said.
One of the highlights of this year’s festival was the addition of goat yoga and goat cuddling sessions, hosted by Good Steward Farm of Stafford, Carly Brown, who brought her goats to the event, said the animals were not only a crowd favorite but also part of a vital landscaping project underway along the park’s steep riverbanks.
“Today we’re doing goat cuddles and goat yoga, so every hour there’s a half hour of goat yoga,” said Brown. “But the larger project involves the landscaping team you see behind you. They started on this end of the park and they’re working their way down towards the entrance. They are eating the honeysuckle and the Japanese knotweed and all of the other unwanted vegetation that would be unsafe to mow because it’s such a steep angle on that hill. Goats are perfect for that kind of work.”
As for why people are drawn to the goats, Brown offered a simple explanation: “They’re just cute as heck. Who can look at that and not go, ‘aww,’ right?”
The day also featured live music, environmental exhibits, children’s activities, and food trucks, all set against the scenic backdrop of Old Mill Park and the Rappahannock River. Organizers said the event serves not only as a celebration but also as a reminder of the shared responsibility to protect the natural beauty that defines Fredericksburg
