Although the weather brought gusty winds and gloomy skies, Ridgewood’s spirit shone through at the 2025 Daffodil Festival and Earth Day Fair. Hosted by The Conservancy for Ridgewood Public Lands, Green Ridgewood, and the Village’s Department of Parks and Recreation, this year’s event drew an impressive crowd of families, neighbors, and nature lovers for a day of fun, learning, and community connection.
With this year’s theme, “H2O Optimize: Protecting Our Water,” the festival focused on water conservation, quality, and flood mitigation, all of which are key environmental issues the Village continues to address through local government and volunteer-led initiatives.
As longtime Ridgewood residents and Realtor Sales Associates at Keller Williams, Till Horkenbach and Kelly O'Brien teamed up to host a booth full of interactive activities that made sustainability approachable and fun for all ages.
Till and Kelly invited kids to pot wildflowers while learning about pollinators and native plants. Everyone participated in the Earth Day Scavenger Hunt where they explored the par and, picked up a piece of trash in exchange for a goodie bag. Their booth also offered temporary Earth Day tattoos, which were a big hit with the younger crowd.
And of course, the fan-favorite game made a return: “How Many Worms Ate the Pizza?” The cleverly staged pizza box filled with fake worms brought plenty of laughs and curiosity, plus a prize for the best guess.
New this year, Till and Kelly introduced an Earth Day Escape Room, an online game designed to teach kids about environmental responsibility through fun, interactive challenges. It was a great way to keep the learning going at home. (Try it for yourself, HERE).
“I’m always proud to take part in this event,” said Till. “Even on a windy day like this, you see how strong Ridgewood’s commitment is to sustainability. Teaching kids early about protecting the planet, that’s how real change begins.”
Beyond Till and Kelly’s booth, attendees enjoyed goat yoga, a petting zoo, live music, crafts, educational demos and the beloved Daffy Dog Parade, where costumed pups trotted through Van Neste Square with their proud and equally festive humans.
The Daffodil Festival and Earth Day Fair remains a vibrant celebration of spring and a powerful reminder of the role each of us plays in creating a greener, more sustainable future. We hope to see you again next year!
Click HERE to see last month's event, Easter in the Park!
