The Everything Garden Expo green-thumbed enthusiasts have come to expect at the Mississippi Horse Park each spring has a new name and updated mission. The Starkville Area Arts Council-sponsored event March 27-28 will be called the Everything Home and Garden Expo.
“We decided to expand the Expo to include home as well as garden this year because we wanted to offer more options to interest even more people and help the Expo grow,” said event chair Ellen Boles of Starkville.
More than 40 vendors will be on hand Friday, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a variety of flowers, plants and outdoor decor, as well as home decor and culinary supplies, said organizers. Entry fee is $5 per person; children under 6 attend free.
Various booths will share information on topics from safe excavation and pest control to foundation repair. New this year, a handyman booth will be open both days of the Expo. Richard Vasek and friends will answer general home repair questions. A home demo booth will offer demontrations relating to home projects.
Garden experts
Nationally known gardening expert, TV and radio host, author and columnist Melinda Myers headlines a host of presenters on topics ranging from vegetable gardens to creating butterfly habitat.
At 11 a.m. Friday, Myers will speak on “Easy and Affordable Landscape Makeovers,” teaching attendees how to make a landscape a welcome retreat, entertainment center or “just a beautiful space to view,” organizers said. In her talk “Creative Containers” at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, she will share examples of containers for any type of container garden, from the traditional to unique. Following each session, Myers’ newest book,” Can’t Miss Small Space Gardening,” will be available for purchase and signing.
Grilling tips
As a prelude to grilling season, a Backyard Gourmet Grill Off presented by Thyme and Bell Building Supply pits two grill teams in competition Saturday at 10:30 a.m. in a chopped-style mystery box challenge. The winner takes home the Golden Spatula Award. Attendees can watch the battle and pick up new grilling techniques in the process. Grilling newbies can also take in “Bell’s Backyard Kitchen: Grilling 101,” a short class led by Wes Shelton on outdoor grilling basics, from lighting a charcoal grill quickly to preparing a healthy meal.
“I think it’s going to great,” said Boles of the two-day extravaganza.
The Expo is sponsored in part by the Mississippi State University Extension Service.
The SAAC is funded by grants from the Mississippi Arts Commission, National Endowment for the Arts, Mississippi Development Authority and the Greater Starkville Development Partnership.
For more information, visit the arts council online at starkvillearts.org or on social media, or call 662-324-3080.
EVERYTHING HOME & GARDEN EXPO
March 27, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
March 28, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
(admission $5; children under 6 free)
FRIDAY, MARCH 27
9:30 a.m. – Dr. Jason Gordon, “Tree Care at Home”
10:30 a.m. – Dr. Jeff Wilson, “Managing your Home Lawn”
11 a.m. – (Main speaker) Melinda Myers, “Easy and Affordable Landscape Makeovers”
2 p.m. – Stanley Wise, “Gardening in the Bale”
3 p.m. – Dr. Christine Coker, “Vegetable Gardening in Small Spaces”
4 p.m. – Brian Templeton, “Rain Gardens”
5 p.m. – Tim Burress, “Creating a Butterfly Habitat”
6 p.m. – Wes Shelton, “Bell’s Backyard Kitchen: Grilling 101”
SATURDAY, MARCH 28
9:30 a.m. – (Main speaker) Melinda Myers, “Creative Containers”
10:30 a.m. – Backyard Gourmet Grill Off
12:15 p.m. – Dr. James McCurdy, “Sustainable Turfgrass Lawns in the Midsouth”
1:15 p.m. – Dr. Leila Kelly, “Herbal Gifts from the Garden”
2:15 p.m. – Shelaine Pennington, “DIY Projects for the Garden”
(Hands-on garden activities for children available Saturday)
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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