Dirt Day brings Wake Forest closer to nature

WAKE FOREST, N.C. (WTVD) -- Low humidity on a beautiful Saturday brought big crowds to downtown Wake Forest for the annual Dirt Day celebration.

Most people, especially those with children, strolled along South White Street without checking their mobile devices.

"Exactly," said Angela Jamison with the Dirt Day planning committee. "No screen time here--unless you're taking pictures. We've got alpacas here, owls, rescue dogs. Really, something for everyone!"

One of the more popular stops for many people was the Wisolina Farms booth, where you could take a selfie with an alpaca for $10.

Ronnie Ansley of Wisolina Farms welcomed the curious.

"Any time that we can reach out and let people have a part of agriculture, what it's like and what it's about, I think it helps us all," Ansley said.

A short walk away on White Street, Mae Johnson and her granddaughter Jamie decorated the asphalt with colorful chalk pictures.

"We're gonna write a gigantic, big Easter basket. We're gonna have some animals in it and we're gonna have Easter eggs," said Jamie. "We're gonna write, 'spring has sprung!'"

Todd Glawe smiled as he watched his son and other children find fossilized shark teeth in some loose soil transported from the North Carolina coast.

"They're having a blast. They love it," said Glawe before his son mentioned the discovery he made in the dirt.

"Three shark teeth!" his son exclaimed.

The organizers of Dirt Day also promoted the planting, care and maintenance of trees in Wake Forest, in what they're calling Tree City, by giving away baby trees.

Peggi Pearson of the Urban Forestry Board estimated the number of baby trees that have been distributed.

"About 850 seedlings this year. And we had everything from redbuds to dogwoods. We had some magnolias," said Pearson.

She urged the people taking those seedlings home to plant them in pots until they grow big enough to continue growing in the ground.