Connections

Photos: Earth Day, Eco-Heroes

At Bloomington’s Earth Day celebration Saturday at Switchyard Park, visitors helped build a sprawling sand mandala, adding colored sand by the cupful, handful, or grain-by-grain. Winners of the city’s Eco-Heroes Art Contest displayed their work inspired by this year’s theme, “Our Nature at Night.”

City of Bloomington’s Earth Day 2026 celebration at Switchyard Park (Juliette Kniola, April 18, 2026)

On Saturday, at Bloomington’s Earth Day celebration, held at Switchyard Park’s pavilion, a big highlight was a sprawling sand mandala that grew slowly as visitors added colored sand by the cupful, the handful, and even one grain at a time.

Inside the pavilion, another set of creations drew attention. Winners of the city’s 14th annual Linda P. Thompson Eco-Heroes Art Contest, open to residents of all ages, were recognized. Their winning artwork was on display. Members of the city’s environmental commissioner were there to make the awards. This year’s theme, “Our Nature at Night,” inspired paintings, drawings, and mixed-media pieces imagining the life of the natural world after dark.

Freelance photographer Juliette Kniola was on hand to capture some of the fun.