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Keynote Speaker
Carol Michel 
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11:30am - 12:15pm
Ver perpetuum – The Perpetual Spring in the Garden with Late Fall, Winter and early Spring Blooms. 1:00 - 1:45pm The Twelve Secrets to Happiness in the Garden
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Katie Burnett
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CompanionGrowing and Integrative Pest Management for the Home Gardener Marcy is an Advanced Master Gardener, gold status, and 20 year member of the La Porte County Master Gardener Association. A self-confessed “herblet”, she welcomes the opportunity to share her love of these ancient plants with others, thus fulfilling the Master Gardener goal of “Helping Others Grow.” She is the owner and folk artist at Fawn Run Farm Mercantile in Rolling Prairie, IN. |
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Alicia Ebaugh 
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9:00 - 9:45am Garbology - Talking Trash is Important - You may never give the items you throw out a second thought, but together they tell the story of your life – everything from what you ate for dinner to the type of toothpaste you use. The average American will create 65 tons of waste in their lifetime, all of which has to end up somewhere, whether that is being remade into a new product or buried in a landfill. Let’s explore what garbology can tell us about ourselves as individuals and as a society. As an educator for the La Porte County Solid Waste District, Alicia Ebaugh has made it her mission to show residents how small decisions they make every day have a larger impact on the world. She recently completed a year-long project to collect her own trash in order to prove that impact. Her main job is teaching classes for children and adults on everything from the function of landfills to being a smarter consumer. The District’s Master Recycler Program, led by Alicia, gives residents the opportunity to learn more about what happens to the waste they create once it leaves their homes in hopes to inspire them to reduce, reuse and recycle. Alicia is a native of Sioux City, Iowa. Her passion for studying garbology (analyzing the waste created by modern culture and its methods of disposal) is third only to her passion for writing and cats of all sizes. |
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Linda Strain
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11:30 - 12:15pm
Backyard Arachnology (Spiders) - Children's Workshop Do you love to study bugs and critters and know what lives right outside your back door? Do you think that spiders are cool and amazing and wonder about how they do all of the fantastic things that they do? Do you love to catch them, study them, and watch them at work? Then Backyard Arachnology is the session for you! Linda has been studying and learning about nature all of her life and she especially loves to study spiders. Around the age of 8 she began catching, studying, drawing and watching them and enjoys helping others appreciate their wonder. She loves sharing nature with children, helping to bridge the way between knowledge, excitement and caring for the planet. She is an investigator of nature and grew up on a farm in Northern Illinois where she had lots of opportunities. She has a Masters in Environmental Education from the University of Michigan and a teaching degree from Moorhead State University in Minnesota and is a life long educator and learner. |
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Jen Kuzdas
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1:00 - 1:45pm
Fantastic World of Seeds - Children's Workshop Get your first-class ticket for a ride into the Fantastical World of Seeds. Master Gardener, Jen Kuzdas, will take you on a trip through the world of seeds and their importance on our everyday lives. Kids will enjoy some instruction then a fun hands-on project. Jen Kuzdas is a Bronze level master gardener and has been a La Porte County Master Gardener since 2012, spending most of her time developing or volunteering for children’s gardening programs. As a “Soccer Mom Gardener”, she balances her time between her two active grade schoolers and all of her gardening endeavors. Her focus at home is on organic vegetable gardening although she’s recently found a love for succulents and creating fantastical fairy gardens. Jen believes every child has the right to know where their food comes from and to have the opportunity to grow it for themselves. |
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Nicole Messacar
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9:00 - 9:45am Build an Underground Rain Garden - Children's Workshop We will look at plant roots, look at photos of rain gardens and talk about how they function and then we will build our own rain garden to take home. Nicole Messacar has been the Education Coordinator at the La Porte County Soil and Water Conservation District for over 10 years. She has a Bachelor of Science from Indiana University with a major in Environmental Management and minor in Geography. She was named The Indiana Wildlife Federation (IWF) 2012 Conservation Education of the Year for outstanding effort in the education of Indiana’s youth and the general public about conservation of our state’s natural resources She also serves as the President of the City of La Porte Park and Recreation Board. She lives in La Porte with 2 of her 3 spunky kids, dog Hazel and her husband, Mark. While not cooking and spending time with her family, she enjoys being outside near the water. |
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Steve Sass
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2:00 - 2:45PM
The Butterflies of Northern Indiana - In this program, we will explore identification, lore and conservation for what is perhaps our most beloved of all insect superfamilies, the Butterflies. A small business owner and lifelong resident of northern Indiana, Steve is an award-winning volunteer and is an officer in multiple organizations including the Indiana Native Plant and Wildflower Society (INPAWS), Friends of the Indiana Dunes and the South Bend-Elkhart Audubon Society. Steve is an Advisory Council member for Shirley Heinze Land Trust, and is a Green Ribbon Commissioner for the City of South Bend, and serves on the South Bend Venues, Parks and Art’s Ecological Advisory Council. He loves the natural sciences: birds, botany, insects, ecology, participating in numerous citizen science projects, and in 2016 co-founded the popular IN Nature social network group. He receives great joy from educating people young and old about the importance of protecting and understanding our local ecology. He enjoys doing educational talks to a variety of groups and is passionate about getting children outside to enjoy and appreciate nature. |
Karen Sarver
10:15 - 11:00AM
Gardening with Children - Adult Workshop
Presenting the fun of sharing gardening with children. Focusing on ideas for different levels of developmental growth by using examples
and sharing experiences. The goal is to inspire folks with ways to get kids
interested in gardening.
Karen is a former educator, registered nurse and computer analyst with a lifelong interest in gardening and children. Her desire is inspire other people to get children actively involved in plants and gardening early in their lives.
Gardening with Children - Adult Workshop
Presenting the fun of sharing gardening with children. Focusing on ideas for different levels of developmental growth by using examples
and sharing experiences. The goal is to inspire folks with ways to get kids
interested in gardening.
Karen is a former educator, registered nurse and computer analyst with a lifelong interest in gardening and children. Her desire is inspire other people to get children actively involved in plants and gardening early in their lives.
Time |
0104 |
Media Center |
8:00 AM–4:00 PM |
Vendors Open All Day |
Vendors Open All Day |
9:00am - 9:45am |
Nicole Messacar Children’s Workshop “Build an Underground Rain Garden” |
Alicia Ebaugh “Garbology- Talking Trash is Important” |
10:15am - 11:00am |
Karen Sarver “Gardening with Children” (Program for Adults) |
Keynote Speaker Gene Bush “Down & Dirty on No/Low Maintenance Gardening” |
11:30am - 12:15pm |
Linda Strain Children’s Workshop “Backyard Arachnology” (Spiders) |
Marcy Dailey “Take Thyme to Smell the Herbs” |
12:15pm - 1:00pm |
Free Time |
Free Time |
1:00pm - 1:45pm |
Jen Kuzdas Children’s Workshop “Fantastical World of Seeds” |
Keynote Speaker Gene Bush “Colorful Combinations for Shade Gardens” |
2:00pm - 2:45pm |
no speaker |
Steve Sass “The Butterflies of Northern Indiana” |
