If you love creeks – and who the heck doesn’t – then Saturday, March 23 through Saturday, March 30, Creek Week, is a time when you can really jump in to the festivities.  In fact, while some people may never have heard of Creek Week, in Guilford County it’s actually become a very large happening with a slew of water-related events going on all week long at parks, lakes, libraries, bars and other places.

Guilford County, the cities of Greensboro and High Point, the NC Cooperative Extension and the Piedmont Triad Regional Council have joined together to put on the Second Annual Guilford Creek Week – what they hope will be a week of informative, productive and fun focus on the area’s creeks and lakes.

There will be over 40 water-related events during the week, including everything from a water-themed trivia night at Joymongers Brewing Company to a similarly themed art class at Wine & Design in Jamestown. There’s also a Waterfowl Birding Pontoon Tour at Lake Townsend Park, a “Pitter-Patter, Raindrops Storytime” at Benjamin Branch Library and a “Scoop the Poop” event that’s being put on by the City of Greensboro’s Water Resources employees.

There are too many events to list but information on all of them can be found at www.guilfordcreekweek.org, as well as at www.facebook.com/guilfordcreekweek.

Kelsie Burgess, the stormwater specialist for the City of High Point and that city’s point person for Creek Week, said some other counties had been holding similar events for years.

“We’re following after Forsyth and Durham counties, which have been doing this a lot longer,” she said.

Burgess also said that Guilford County, the cities and the other partners, joined together to help citizens to learn about creeks and water pollution, as well as to get them to actively interact with waterways.

The week includes several creek cleanup events to help remove trash and other unwanted items from around the creeks.

The official purpose of the week is “to celebrate the importance, impact and influence of the creeks and waterways of Guilford County and the municipalities within.”  It’s meant “to raise awareness about the vital role of local waters and how the health of that water can have a direct impact on communities.”

One big celebration will be the Guilford Creek Week Kick Off Party on Saturday, March 23, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Gibson Park.

Burgess said that party will include a Creek Crawl where kids will tour a creek and learn about different insects, animals and plants. During the tour, there will be fun and educational stops along the way.

During the week, there are events for all ages.  On Monday afternoon, March 25, for instance, there will be a Family Fishing Day at City Lake Park.