Celebrating Mother Earth, and a daughter, at Earth Day event in Schaumburg

Many gathered at Schaumburg’s Spring Valley Nature Center on Sunday to celebrate Mother Earth at the Schaumburg Park District’s annual Earth Day event.

But Pete Justen of Schaumburg was there to celebrate another important woman in his life: his late daughter, Julie Emerson.

Justen watched Sunday as visitors watered and tended to flowers in the center’s “Wonder Garden,” which he said will be named in honor of Julie, who passed away in 2017.

“She loved the outdoors … the earthwork,” he said. “I see people here watering the flowers and it reminds me that Julie loved to grow things.”

Besides tending to the garden, visitors to the center Sunday could build a birdhouse, check out birds-of-prey demonstrations, worm composting demonstrations and learn about beekeeping, heirloom gardening and more.