MGACRA :FREDERICKSBURG & THE COUNTIES OF STAFFORD, SPOTSYLVANIA, KING GEORGE & CAROLINE
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MGACRA-SPONSORED EVENTS CALENDAR April 2022
Some lectures and events will be offered via YouTube or ZOOM technology. Any Zoom meetings/presentations will require registration prior to start date.
The Free Lance Star and MGACRA Facebook page will also be used to post/advertise all activities.
All gardening, insect, plant disease, and horticultural related questions can be called into our VCE office: 540-658-8000. Guy Mussey is our VCE Agent for the four-county area and Fredericksburg. Additional resources are available at: ext.vt.edu where subjects of interest can be searched.
Annual and Special Events:
2 Apr - 10th Annual Living in the Garden Symposium 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Location at Gari Melcher’s House Studio, 224 Washington Street, Falmouth, Virginia 22405.
This year’s theme is MADE IN THE SHADE
8 Apr - 30 Apr - RAAI Plant Sale Begins! The plant sale will take place Mon-Sat from 10a.m. to 4 p.m. at 750 Kings Highway, Stafford VA.
23 Apr - Earth Day. More information to follow
26 Apr – 4th Tuesday Program (Open to the public!). Speaker: Kaly Mize/No Till Gardening, 7:00 p.m. via ZOOM. Registration is required. The ZOOM link is:
https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/87495050587?pwd=NnBPNzErRTdGSEVoTVo5YW5qOXNCZz09
POC: Margene Sims, mmsims@aol.com
MGACRA Monthly Meetings:
13 Apr - MGACRA Board Meeting, 1:30 p.m. POC: Tina Will brianandtina.will@gmail.com
20 Apr - MGACRA General Meeting at 7:00 p.m., via ZOOM: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/89359168455?pwd=T1hpL2xZWmlhTS96bFFNeHNtdjRnUT09
Guest Speaker/Subject: Dr. Gillian Eastwood/Ticks
POC: Margene Sims, mmsims@aol.com
MGACRA Volunteer Opportunities:
Cedell Brooks Native Demonstration Garden: Coordinator Alvin Calhoun welcomes volunteers to join him at the Cedell Brooks Park Native Garden in King George VA. Volunteers meet each Thursday (weather permitting) from 10:00 AM-Noon. The physical address of Cedell Brooks Park is 11215 Henry Griffin Rd, King George, VA 22485. Please bring appropriate gardening tools including gloves, pruners, loopers, shovels and wheelbarrows. Contact Alvin with any questions at aac.ac4@gmail.com .
Native Garden at Widewater State Park: Coordinator Beth Daily welcomes all volunteers to join her at Widewater State Park in Stafford VA. Reach out to Beth with any questions about the garden and the 2022 schedule. Beth can be reached at elizabethdaly@juno.com.
Belmont Nature Trail: MG Jody Wilken is the Grounds Coordinator at Belmont, and she is looking for some volunteers to work on the Nature Trail and/or give educational walking tours to visitors. The trail is located in King George VA. Though you would be volunteering as an MG, Belmont has its own internal volunteer process which includes a background screening (paid for by Belmont). Jody can be reached at jwilken@umw.edu.
Chatham Historical Gardens: Did you know that you can earn volunteer hours every Wednesday, year-round, from 8am-1pm by joining project Coordinator Carol Hyland in the beautiful Chatham Historical Gardens? Interested? You can sign up in Better Impact (click on the Opportunities tab, go to the Opportunities Calendar, and click on whatever Wednesday works for you!), or you can just turn up with your pruners. Chatham Manor is located in Stafford County. Please contact Carol if you have any questions at cahyland@cox.net
RAAI Plant Sale: The sale will begin on 8 April and run from 10-4, Monday thru Saturday (closed on Sundays). Sale volunteers will be needed. Questions? Send email to Garadh56@gmail.com
Cossey Park: Tina Will is looking for volunteers to help get our beloved Cassey Park back in tip top shape. MG’s are welcome to join her every Thursday morning in March and April for general clean up and maintenance. Please bring your gloves, rakes, weeding tools, etc!
Rt 3 Plant Clinic: Coordinator Ray Mikula is looking for volunteers for this year’s plant clinic – interns, this is a GREAT way to learn and get your hours!!! Ray is using Signup Genius to fill the available volunteer slots; here is the link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B044DA9A623AAFF2-rt31
Earth Day 2022: Jonathan Stevens is coordinating this community wide effort again this year! Look for more details from Jonathan soon, but in the meantime mark your calendars for April 23! Jonathan could use all the help he can get, and is especially looking for MG’s that have done the Enviroscape before and are interested in working with some kids activities. It’s going to be an awesome event!
Smart Green Lawns: Our Smart Green Lawns program just opened for registration today! If you have volunteered for this program in the past and plan to continue doing so this year or if you haven’t volunteered for this in the past, it’s a great opportunity to earn hours, visit with and educate our community, and learn all about lawns! Contact Lisa Ellis, to sign-up again or to become a new volunteer, at lisae22@vt.edu
MWU Elder Study Group: For their fall semester, the group is looking for a speaker to give a talk, via Zoom, about alternatives to a traditional lawn. The talk could be on either of the following two dates: Wednesday, September 21 from 10am – 12pm, or Tuesday, November 1 from 10am – 12pm. The talk does not need to fill the entire 2 hour slot, so a Q and A session after the talk could easily be accommodated. Contact Lisa Ellis if you are interested!
MGACRA Continuing Education Opportunities:
26 Apr – 4th Tuesday Program (Open to the public!). Speaker: Kaly Mize/No Till Gardening, 7:00 p.m. via ZOOM. Registration is required. The ZOOM link is:
https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/87495050587?pwd=NnBPNzErRTdGSEVoTVo5YW5qOXNCZz09
POC: Margene Sims, mmsims@aol.com
Plant Class Identification: The Tree and Shrub Identification Series is back after a two year hiatus!!! This year’s course will be Thursdays, 28 April – 2 June 2022 at 9am – 11am. The brochure and registration are available on the MGACRA website – registrations are accepted on a first come, first served basis, so get your spot while they last! Registration closes on April 26.
Soil Sample Video: The Extension Office has prepared a short video on how to take a good soil sample! The video is now up on YouTube and will be posted on our website. You can also click on the link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4J93LtWMTs0 Watching the video WILL COUNT towards your Continuing Education hours.
Do You Need Education Hours? All 2021 presentations and lectures are available for viewing via YouTube. The links to all available presentations and lectures are located on the MGACRA website Home Page or contact Lisa Ellis at lisae22@vt.edu for more information
(Page last updated: 4/25/2022 RF)
The Free Lance Star and MGACRA Facebook page will also be used to post/advertise all activities.
All gardening, insect, plant disease, and horticultural related questions can be called into our VCE office: 540-658-8000. Guy Mussey is our VCE Agent for the four-county area and Fredericksburg. Additional resources are available at: ext.vt.edu where subjects of interest can be searched.
Annual and Special Events:
2 Apr - 10th Annual Living in the Garden Symposium 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Location at Gari Melcher’s House Studio, 224 Washington Street, Falmouth, Virginia 22405.
This year’s theme is MADE IN THE SHADE
8 Apr - 30 Apr - RAAI Plant Sale Begins! The plant sale will take place Mon-Sat from 10a.m. to 4 p.m. at 750 Kings Highway, Stafford VA.
23 Apr - Earth Day. More information to follow
26 Apr – 4th Tuesday Program (Open to the public!). Speaker: Kaly Mize/No Till Gardening, 7:00 p.m. via ZOOM. Registration is required. The ZOOM link is:
https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/87495050587?pwd=NnBPNzErRTdGSEVoTVo5YW5qOXNCZz09
POC: Margene Sims, mmsims@aol.com
MGACRA Monthly Meetings:
13 Apr - MGACRA Board Meeting, 1:30 p.m. POC: Tina Will brianandtina.will@gmail.com
20 Apr - MGACRA General Meeting at 7:00 p.m., via ZOOM: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/89359168455?pwd=T1hpL2xZWmlhTS96bFFNeHNtdjRnUT09
Guest Speaker/Subject: Dr. Gillian Eastwood/Ticks
POC: Margene Sims, mmsims@aol.com
MGACRA Volunteer Opportunities:
Cedell Brooks Native Demonstration Garden: Coordinator Alvin Calhoun welcomes volunteers to join him at the Cedell Brooks Park Native Garden in King George VA. Volunteers meet each Thursday (weather permitting) from 10:00 AM-Noon. The physical address of Cedell Brooks Park is 11215 Henry Griffin Rd, King George, VA 22485. Please bring appropriate gardening tools including gloves, pruners, loopers, shovels and wheelbarrows. Contact Alvin with any questions at aac.ac4@gmail.com .
Native Garden at Widewater State Park: Coordinator Beth Daily welcomes all volunteers to join her at Widewater State Park in Stafford VA. Reach out to Beth with any questions about the garden and the 2022 schedule. Beth can be reached at elizabethdaly@juno.com.
Belmont Nature Trail: MG Jody Wilken is the Grounds Coordinator at Belmont, and she is looking for some volunteers to work on the Nature Trail and/or give educational walking tours to visitors. The trail is located in King George VA. Though you would be volunteering as an MG, Belmont has its own internal volunteer process which includes a background screening (paid for by Belmont). Jody can be reached at jwilken@umw.edu.
Chatham Historical Gardens: Did you know that you can earn volunteer hours every Wednesday, year-round, from 8am-1pm by joining project Coordinator Carol Hyland in the beautiful Chatham Historical Gardens? Interested? You can sign up in Better Impact (click on the Opportunities tab, go to the Opportunities Calendar, and click on whatever Wednesday works for you!), or you can just turn up with your pruners. Chatham Manor is located in Stafford County. Please contact Carol if you have any questions at cahyland@cox.net
RAAI Plant Sale: The sale will begin on 8 April and run from 10-4, Monday thru Saturday (closed on Sundays). Sale volunteers will be needed. Questions? Send email to Garadh56@gmail.com
Cossey Park: Tina Will is looking for volunteers to help get our beloved Cassey Park back in tip top shape. MG’s are welcome to join her every Thursday morning in March and April for general clean up and maintenance. Please bring your gloves, rakes, weeding tools, etc!
Rt 3 Plant Clinic: Coordinator Ray Mikula is looking for volunteers for this year’s plant clinic – interns, this is a GREAT way to learn and get your hours!!! Ray is using Signup Genius to fill the available volunteer slots; here is the link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B044DA9A623AAFF2-rt31
Earth Day 2022: Jonathan Stevens is coordinating this community wide effort again this year! Look for more details from Jonathan soon, but in the meantime mark your calendars for April 23! Jonathan could use all the help he can get, and is especially looking for MG’s that have done the Enviroscape before and are interested in working with some kids activities. It’s going to be an awesome event!
Smart Green Lawns: Our Smart Green Lawns program just opened for registration today! If you have volunteered for this program in the past and plan to continue doing so this year or if you haven’t volunteered for this in the past, it’s a great opportunity to earn hours, visit with and educate our community, and learn all about lawns! Contact Lisa Ellis, to sign-up again or to become a new volunteer, at lisae22@vt.edu
MWU Elder Study Group: For their fall semester, the group is looking for a speaker to give a talk, via Zoom, about alternatives to a traditional lawn. The talk could be on either of the following two dates: Wednesday, September 21 from 10am – 12pm, or Tuesday, November 1 from 10am – 12pm. The talk does not need to fill the entire 2 hour slot, so a Q and A session after the talk could easily be accommodated. Contact Lisa Ellis if you are interested!
MGACRA Continuing Education Opportunities:
26 Apr – 4th Tuesday Program (Open to the public!). Speaker: Kaly Mize/No Till Gardening, 7:00 p.m. via ZOOM. Registration is required. The ZOOM link is:
https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/87495050587?pwd=NnBPNzErRTdGSEVoTVo5YW5qOXNCZz09
POC: Margene Sims, mmsims@aol.com
Plant Class Identification: The Tree and Shrub Identification Series is back after a two year hiatus!!! This year’s course will be Thursdays, 28 April – 2 June 2022 at 9am – 11am. The brochure and registration are available on the MGACRA website – registrations are accepted on a first come, first served basis, so get your spot while they last! Registration closes on April 26.
Soil Sample Video: The Extension Office has prepared a short video on how to take a good soil sample! The video is now up on YouTube and will be posted on our website. You can also click on the link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4J93LtWMTs0 Watching the video WILL COUNT towards your Continuing Education hours.
Do You Need Education Hours? All 2021 presentations and lectures are available for viewing via YouTube. The links to all available presentations and lectures are located on the MGACRA website Home Page or contact Lisa Ellis at lisae22@vt.edu for more information
(Page last updated: 4/25/2022 RF)