Frankfort gives mayor Earth Day proclamation

FRANKFORT ー What started in 1970 as an effort to implement environmental change is now a long-standing tradition of appreciating and fighting for our planet. Kentucky folks gathered at Liberty Hall to celebrate 2025 Earth Day with educational booths, speeches and activities.

Whether it was people’s first time or their 55th year celebrating Earth Day, the community came together for Together Frankfort’s third Earth Day event.

Having been aware of environmental issues from a very young age, professional horticulturist Kim Cowherd has celebrated Earth Day since 1970, when she was 10 years old, and still showed up for the Frankfort celebration in 2025.

Numerous groups, grassroots and otherwise, appeared at the event to help educate the general population on various environmental issues through pamphlets and activities.

Liberty Hall Historic Site offered nature wand building, providing sticks and twine and encouraging folks to engage with nature by finding flowers and greens to decorate their wands with.

Together Frankfort started in 2017 as a protest to the inauguration of Donald Trump, and over time, turned into a community-focused event, according to Margaret Townsley, an active member of the organization.

Townsley noted that Together Frankfort hosts Civics 101 community forums, which aim to inform the community about various political and governmental concepts.

Together Frankfort member Jeffrey Laird, who has taught Civics 101 classes, said that who you are getting news from matters, and individuals have to put the work in to gain factual information. The classes allow the community to gain information from a group that is progressive yet not affiliated with any party.

This year, the non-profit offered a proclamation to Frankfort’s mayor, Layne Wilkerson, and Franklin County Judge/Executive, Michael Mueller.

The proclamation remarked that the city, through government and elected officials, civic organizations, educational institutions, volunteer groups and others, would create an awareness of the abundance of natural resources in the community.

Additionally, the proclamation sets out to initiate and encourage programs that engage Frankfort citizens in protecting the various values of the natural resources.

“And whereas on April 22, 2025, Together Frankfort, a local civic engagement organization, has partnered with other community organizations and with the city of Frankfort, urging Frankfort citizens to celebrate our precious natural resources, ” high school student Larissa Bush read from the framed proclamation.

Abolitionist poet Idris Irihamye gave the keynote speech at the 2025 Earth Day celebration in Frankfort.

In addition to the mayor’s and judge’s speeches, the audience also heard from keynote speaker Idris Irihamye, finances organizer and co-director of the Kentucky Student Environmental Coalition (KSEC) and abolitionist poet. Irihamye discussed how ecological narratives reflect technological dynamics and social structures.

(Stay tuned for a full story on Irihamye’s keynote speech.)

Along with the speakers, the crowd was presented with musical guests Nate Orson and Samantha Ratcliffe.

More information about Together Frankfort and Civics 101 classes can be found at TogetherFrankfort.org.

All photos by Haiden Hall.