(bright music) - Lake Fest 2026 invites you to enjoy nature walks, kayaking, live music, art, and Indigenous water ceremonies.

Joining us to share how the event supports the mission to restore the Great Salt Lake is Maycen Robinson.

Thank you so much for being here, Maycen.

- Of course.

Thank you for having me.

- So tell me what people can expect when they come out to this year's event.

- Well, like you mentioned, when you come to the Lake Fest 2026 this year, you're gonna see a celebration of Great Salt Lake.

We'll have nature walks.

We have art workshops led by local artists.

We'll have kayaking, a cardboard boat race, as well as live music, food trucks.

We're partnering with other local advocacy groups and as you mentioned, we'll be starting off the day with an Indigenous water ceremony.

- Why is it important to bring people together at the lake to talk about some of the issues that are going on, but also to have a celebration as well?

- Well, Great Salt Lake is a driving force behind Utah's climate and our local environment.

It impacts our agriculture and our ski and snowboard industry.

And as a result, just with those two things alone, it impacts our economic resilience.

And this year, Great Salt Lake is expected to reach its lowest levels ever recorded and at Grow the Flow, we recognize that without a healthy and thriving Great Salt Lake, we can't have a healthy and thriving Utah.

And so Lake Fest is not only a celebration of what's left of Great Salt Lake, but also hope of what we know the future can be.

- What is your favorite part about the event?

- My favorite part about the event is probably the cardboard boat race.

It's so fun to watch people, see what they designed.

We have people from all across Utah, especially elementary aged children who get together and design fun boats and race them around the Great Salt Lake.

- Is there a way that people can help out or support this mission year round?

- Yes, if you check out our website at growtheflowutah.org, you can learn more about the Great Salt Lake and it's ongoing rescue efforts, as well as sign up for our newsletter and learn how you can get involved with our local chapter.

- All right.

Well, thank you so much for joining us.

If you would like to learn more information, like she said, they have it on the website, growtheflowutah.org is where you can get information and you should mark your calendars for Lake Fest 2026.

It's June 13th from 10:00 a.m.

until 4:00 p.m.

at the Great Salt Lake State Park Marina.

I'm Liz Adeola, and thank you for watching "Contact."

(bright music) Philanthropy, Arts, culture.

It's what brings us together.

Hi, I'm Liz Adeola, the host of Contact, a show that connects you with local events and organizations that serve your community.

If you work for a nonprofit and would like to be on Contact, please visit pbs.org/contact