Abbott's Mill Nature Center (Courtesy: TripAdvisor---Traveler photo by jmarkopoulos: "Clean Water" (Nov 2010).

The celebration spans a few weekends, kicking off May 20 at 6 p.m. for the New Localism Film Festival, which will show three short films produced by Patagonia. 

The festival will feature a film about a surfer and his father, a fisherman, who both grew up in South America. Throughout the film, the two talk about how surfing and fishing connect and about clean water for recreation, life and economy.

Matt Babbitt, Abbott’s Mill Nature Center site manager, says this film is perfect for the Delaware Nature Society’s current campaign. He says the organization is in the middle of a clean water campaign and has been collaborating with various organizations on Delmarva.

According to Babbitt, Delaware Nature Society works with the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary and the Inland Bays Center and collectively the organizations make up the Clean Water Alliance.

“The campaign is all about trying to get funding for clean water in Delaware… water is a huge theme throughout our entire year,” Babbitt said.

The second film presented at the festival speaks about trail running, hiking trails and public access, while the third and final film at the festival will showcase rock climbing, conserving land for public access and keeping natural areas natural.

After each film, local experts will hold a panel discussion to speak about the global topic on a smaller scale. The one-night film festival in the Nature Center’s backyard will feature craft brews from Dogfish Head Craft Brewery and tasty cuisine from the Taco Reho food truck.

Photo Courtesy: The New Localism Film Festival Facebook

The next morning, Abbott’s Mill will hold an inaugural 5K at Blairs Pond Nature Reserve. Following the race, spectators will be brought back to the Abbott’s Mill Nature Center for a celebration. According to Babbitt, the mill will be running, there will be canoes and kayaks  on the pond as well as arts and crafts for the little ones.

Fast forward a month.

Abbott’s Mill will be celebrating its actual 35th anniversary on Tuesday, June 7, with the mill running, guided hikes, campfires with s’mores and more.

The last hoorah for the anniversary celebration is on the weekend of Oct 14-15. Friday night kicks off with a Meal at the Mill dinner, incorporating produce and chicken from the Coverdale Farm Preserve as well as catering from Abbott’s Grill and drinks from Dogfish Head Brewery.

The final celebration is Autumn at Abbott’s Mill on Saturday, Oct. 15.

“We last ran this event in 2008 and now we are bringing it back,” Babbitt said. “We’ll be touching on the cultural and historical side of Delaware. We’ll have canoeing with Quest kayaks, craft vendors, activities and more.”

To learn more about Abbott’s Mill Nature Society’s 35th anniversary celebrations, visit www.delawarenaturesociety.org.

About Delaware Nature Society

• Founded in 1964
• Focus on improving the environment through conservation, advocacy and education
• State affiliate for the National Wildlife Federation
• Manages more than 2,000 acres of land, including four nature preserves and three educational nature centers: Ashland Nature Center, Abbott’s Mill Nature Center and DuPont Environmental Education Center at the Russell W. Peterson Urban Wildlife Refuge.