HOUSTON (CW39) — A preview of Earth Day events kicked off over the weekend with activities in both Houston and Fort Bend County.

Houston leaders and lawmakers invited families to join them at Grimes Park. Called “Cigna Sunday in the park” — it promotes health— by featuring activities for the whole family.

Meanwhile, in Fort Bend County, they also held a pre Earth Day event to promote recycling and composting amongst kids over the weekend.

Plus, Three weeks of extra strawberries! That’s what’s in store this season! A milder winter is causing strawberry crops to bloom much earlier than usual. That’s according to the Texas A&M AgriLife.

“This year, the season started earlier than it has in the past three to four years, and perhaps by as much as two to three weeks,” said Russ Wallace, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension horticulturist and professor in the Department of Horticultural Sciences, Lubbock. “The first berries to come out of the field were large and very sweet, and the quality has been excellent.”

Part of this season’s strong crop is thanks to a milder than usual winter for many growers. Freeze damage to the flowers and plants has been minimal, Wallace said, and growers who protected their crop with row cover cloth saw less damage and earlier production than others.

Wallace said he has been impressed with what he’s seen so far.

“This spring, I’ve traveled across the state visiting growers’ fields, looking at the strawberry crop,” he said. “The crops overall look fantastic and the weather, for the most part, has cooperated.”