Sycamore Shoals may have not been open for Earth Day weekend due to Easter, but they have not forgotten the holiday. They are still going to celebrate as on-time as they can.

Leslie Brockley, a member of the Sabine Hill Social Society and employee at Sycamore Shoals State Park, said they still wanted to celebrate the outdoors and its significance to the park and its community.

“Everybody has an interest in the outdoors,” Brockley said. “Our interest is historical.”

She said preserving the environment also means preserving the historical significance of the East Tennessee region.

The park has plans for a variety of events, including a community plant exchange Saturday, April 27.

“People like to get together, and visit people who enjoy plants,” she said.

The exchange takes place for only an hour, from 9 to 10 a.m., but she said its significance is related to the Plant Auction they held last week.

“You can get varieties of plants you cannot purchase directly,” Brockley said.

On Sunday, April 28, she said the Sabine Hill Social Society will gather to play games and celebrate the culture from the 1800s, all in period clothing as always.

“We will be playing shuttlecock, which is like badminton, and Pins, or outdoor bowling,” she said. “We will also be playing card games from the time period as well.”

She said events like these help shed light on the history of the region while also promoting ways to benefit the environment, as people in older times did not have the electricity modern society tends to waste.

“They did not have electricity,” Brockley said. “They had to boil water in a pot over an open fire.”

Above all else, however, Brockley said the weekend’s purpose is to celebrate the outdoors in everything they do as a state park.

Brockley said there will be a Sabine Hill Tour this Wednesday, April 24, at 11 a.m. She said there are still slots open, and those interested can sign up beforehand at www.tnstateparks.com/parks/sycamore-shoals.