You may not know it, but this week isn’t just any week – in Guilford County, it’s the annual event known as “Guilford Creek Week.”

The week is a joint venture between local governments and others supporting the environment: Guilford County, the City of Greensboro, the City of High Point and the group Stormwater SMART.

The week runs from Saturday, June 4 to Saturday, June 11 – technically making it a week and a day. It’s held to “celebrate the importance, impact and influence of the creeks and waterways of Guilford County and the municipalities within,” and the week is 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.”

During the eight days, there are plenty of hands-on, recreational activities for those interested. Most of the events are totally free and open to all ages but some do have an age restriction for safety – and some events require registration.

There are too many to list but you can find them all at https://www.guilfordcreekweek.org.

Here are two highly anticipated events during Creek Week this year:

The Guilford County Rain Barrel Class.  This is a free hands-on session sponsored by Guilford County, the NC Cooperative Extension and Pepsi Bottling Ventures.

Participants will take home one rain barrel with hardware installed.

It will be at the NC Cooperative Extension Services at 3309 Burlington Road in Greensboro on Wednesday, June 8 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. To reserve a spot, you can email lelkins@guilfordcountync.gov or call Lorelei Elkins at 336-641-2082.

Guilford County Parks Family Fishing Day.  Bring your fishing poles to this event near the former county Prison Farm for some fun and edutainment near where the chain gangs used to be.  This event will feature a demonstration of how to properly prepare and clean a fish for cooking.

The pond at the farm is stocked regularly by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission.

You can also learn about buffer zones and other clean water management tools, and there will also be a vegetable plant sale in the farm’s greenhouse to complete your meal.

This will take place at the Guilford County Farm at 7315 Howerton Road on Saturday, June 11 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.