The Tollgate Farm News

Transcription

1 MSU Tollgate Gardens Volunteer General Meeting in the Conference Center Thursday, August 15, 7:00 PM Members of the Michigan Harrihood On Thursday, August 15, join Tollgate volunteers to learn about Members of the Michigan Harrihood. This new program on mammals includes some fun stories, a lot of props (remember muskrat on a stick?), and an account of the amazing Detroit Beaver colony at Conner Creek. Recently retired curator and supervising interpreter of the Lake Erie Marshlands Museum and Nature Center, Gerry Wykes is the National Association for Interpretation s Distinguished Professional Interpreter of the Year for 1989 and the author of a truly interesting blog, Naturespeak: A Naturalist s View of the World, which includes original articles, photographs, videos and illustrations. You can find it at or follow the Naturespeak link from Gerry s lively keynotes were well received at MGAWC s Growing with Master Gardeners conferences in 2008 and His educational and entertaining presentations were enjoyed at Tollgate and Fox Run in 2008 and The Tollgate Farm News Volume 19 Issue 8 August Tollgate Open House Tollgate Garden Volunteer Important Dates and Events Aug Meetings Sept Meetings 13 Fall Fair Meeting 7:00 PM 3 TGAC Meeting 7:00 PM 15 TGV General Meeting 7:00 PM 10 Fall Fair Meeting 7:00 PM 19 TGV General Meeting 7:00 PM Aug Activities Sept Activities Photo by Renee Cottrell Photo by Larry Bolam 17 Xeriscape/Office Gardens 9:00 AM 7 Hosta and Children s Gardens 9:00 AM 24 Rose, Heritage, Rock Ledge Gardens 9:00 AM 14 Fall Fair Clean-up 9:00 AM 20 Fall Fair Set-up TBD 21 Fall Fair (Set-up 8:00 10:00 AM) 10:00 AM 28 Plant Division and Potting 9:00 Page AM

2 GREETINGS from the Tollgate Farm Manager Roy Prentice Greetings All, Open House a Wonderful Day: Thanks to the efforts of our many wonderful volunteers, the recent Open House was a great event. The many Tollgate volunteers, the beautiful gardens and the good weather all contributed to making the 2013 open house a great event. Even though it threatened rain for the event all week, the spirits of our visitors and volunteers were undeterred. The quilt raffle raised a lot of money for the gardens. After all expenses were paid, the quilt raffle raised roughly $250. Our quilt winner this year was one of Tollgate s own volunteers, Connie Marcangelo. She was thrilled to receive the beautiful quilt made by the Tollgate Quilting Bees. I would like to wish a big thank you to all who contributed so much to the event. PAR and Pumpkins: The Plant a Row for the Hungry garden is doing very well this year. John Woodrich and crew have already harvested well over 700 pounds of produce that has been sent to the good folks at Forgotten Harvest. Thanks to a grant from the Americana Foundation, the PAR garden also has a new storage shed for boxes, rototillers and other garden items. The pumpkin patch is doing very well. There are lots of plants and the pumpkins are just starting to show. We should have loads of kid-sized pumpkins by the time the Fall Fair rolls around. All of the wonderful cool, wet weather that we have been having this summer has slowed the pumpkins down a bit. Pumpkins, and their sisters the tomatoes, appreciate some hot summer weather to bring out their charms to the fullest effect. Even so, I think we should be fine by the time the fair gets here. Fall Fair: Now that the Open House is behind us, it s time to concentrate on the 2013 Fall Fair held this year on Saturday, September 21st. We need the help of all of our volunteers to make this event happen. As always, the Fall Fair Committee is doing a wonderful job pulling this year s Fall Fair together. A lot was done at the recent craft work day on July 30th. There is still a bit more to prepare, so keep your eyes peeled for other opportunities to cut, paste, snip, and apply googly eyes for fall fair craft activities. Thank you for all that you do! Roy Kathy Coleman, Judy Poole Connie Marcangelo (Quilt Winner) and Nancy Roggers Ginger Meyer Award: I am accepting nominations for the Ginger Meyer award. The recipient of this award is recognized as the Tollgate Volunteer that has done the most for Tollgate over the years. You are welcome to send me your nomination in an . Simply indicate who you feel has contributed above and beyond to Tollgate over the years and why. This is your chance to help us recognize those in our midst that have really given of themselves so that we all can enjoy the site more. Photo by Minnette Prentice Page 2

3 Notes from the President My thanks to all the contributing volunteers who gave their time and effort to make our 2013 Art in the Gardens Open House a successful event! The guest traffic was steady the guest comments were favorable and the gardens were looking great. We found the shorter tours ending at the scheduled garden talks to work well and we will be working on the flow of foot traffic so guests can be exposed to all the artists participating. The music throughout the venue was also terrific. Any other feedback would be appreciated so we can build the quality of this event to best showcase the features of Tollgate. Now on to our planning for Fall Fair. Please consider a few hours during the week as well as our organized work days and volunteer planning meetings between now and the Fall Fair week end. Look for info in the newsletter and s. As we do each year, we would like to have a variety of candidates for all positions available for the membership to choose new officers for the TGAC. We nominate in September and vote in October to give all members plenty of opportunity to participate in our organization. Please consider nominating yourself or another willing member to run for any of the elected positions (President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary) or offer your services for committee positions. This is a great way to stay active in volunteering when circumstances may not let you participate physically in the gardens. You can get a copy of the by-laws online or by request from me at any time. Please feel free to ask me or another TGAC member how you can serve as a TGAC officer. Ginger Meyer nominations still being accepted please bring to the August meeting. There are many members that appropriately demonstrate the devotion to the site and willingness to share with others their love for gardening that defines this award. In my life and in my work, flowers represent so many positive things to me: spirit, creativity, happiness, love and most of all, the natural world s persistent inclination toward beauty. - Mary Engelbreit As Always, Thank you for being a Tollgate Garden Volunteer. Photos by Renee Cottrell Renee Cottrell, President Tollgate Volunteers Page 3

4 Artists and Musicians Join Tollgate s Open House Barbara McCleary Mike Todoroff and Heiner Hertling Richard Onica Cath Post Displayed in the Tollgate Conference Center were Photographs by Ann Davies The Grand River Band Art Durow and Fellow Musician, Barry Photos by Larry Bolam, Ann Davies and Renee Cottrell Page 4

5 Remembering Denny Nielsen I am sad to say that Tollgate lost a good friend recently. Long-time Tollgate volunteer, Denny Nielsen, passed away after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. Denny was a great guy. Although you may not know Denny, you have surely seen his work. He volunteered at Tollgate mostly in the fall, making plant ID signs for the gardens with his good friend Bob Savageau. Since fall is a quieter time of the year than the hectic summer. I was able to take the time to chat with Denny and share an occasional lunch. Denny was truly a warm human being. He had a wealth of lifestories and shared them freely. I will miss seeing him around the farm. Roy NURSERY NOTES Your fall divisions will be much appreciated for next spring s plant sale. Please note that there is a plastic coffee can on the potting bench for labeling plant name and bloom color. Pots are available in the near-by shed. If you cannot pot the plants you need to contact me so volunteer help can be arranged to pot before the donated plant divisions die. We will use the large holding area in the shade structure as the drop off location for donated, potted and labeled plants. From here we will relocate to the appropriate shade or sun location. Look for planned division days on the site beginning after the Fall Fair. I am still recruiting for members of the Nursery team. It is a great opportunity to take on one row of the nursery to learn, and contribute to the maintenance of this area. Call me if you are interested at Thanks to the members who have joined this team! Obituary information at: memsol.cgi?user_id= A Special Thanks! To all of you who made a donation to help the Tollgate Gardeners make Tollgate a more beautiful place. Your donation is greatly appreciated! The support that you have provided will continue to help our program prosper and grow. Thanks again and Happy Gardening! Kayla Clouse RoseMary Curatolo Jan Elvekrog Shirley Euwer Kelly Gies Roy Hybl Marilyn Kinderman Teresa LaRosa Brian Louwers Connie Marcangelo Andrew Mefta Page 5

6 2013 Tollgate Art in the Gardens Open House Photos by Larry Bolam Page 6

7 2013 Tollgate Art in the Gardens Open House Photos by Darretta Ferasin Photos by Renee Cottrell Page 7

8 Fall Fair The Fall Fair is less than 6 weeks away and now is the prime time to sign-up for your favorite craft or activity. This year Betsy Wilds will be handling the sign up. You can reach her at either her cell phone or at betsywilds389@yahoo.com. A sign-up sheet will be in the Volunteer Communication Center soon. Talking about the VCC you can still drop off your returnable bottles and cans there and help support the fair in many ways. The fair looks to be a great event again and is a great way to get those extra volunteer hours in without straining your back. There will be openings for AM, PM or all day for both crafts and activities. We will also need help for set-up both Friday (time to be announced) and Saturday Morning from 8:00-10:00 AM. Lunch and snacks, breaks and shelter will all be provided but, please dress for the weather. We hope to see you there. Questions or comments you can always reach me at fallfair@sup-mac.com. Dennis Fair Photos Submitted by Dennis Roggers SIGN-UP COMING SOON by John Woodrich The PAR Garden Crew after Harvesting 322 lbs. of Vegetables on July 30th Bakers Note The Open House refreshment table once again was filled with your donations and were enjoyed by our appreciative guests. We will once again need much more to feed the multitude who attend the fall Fair in September. No need to apologize for not baking. Costco and the other stores make wonderful cookies and are always welcome. Many Thanks, Yvonne Page 8

9 Workday Activities Photos by Darretta Ferasin Page 9

10 Tollgate Volunteer Information Activity Days Activity day hours are 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM unless otherwise noted on the Tollgate Garden Volunteer Important Dates and Events listed on the first page of the Tollgate Farm News or by the Area Garden Leader (AGL). Lunch will be provided - veggie alternatives are available upon request. If you aren t getting The Tollgate Farm News , Check your SPAM folder This schedule does not exclude you from working independently on the site. However, on non-scheduled days, your efforts will need to be selfdirected with guidance from the garden area clipboards located in the Volunteer Communication Center. Volunteer Activity Day and Meetings Information ext. 400 Garden Tools Available for Use at Tollgate List of Suggested Gardening Implements to Bring from Home as Needed Spades Garden Rakes Brooms Wheel Barrels Weed Buckets Leaf Rakes Garden Hoe Long Handled Garden Forks Trowel Hand Pruners Loppers Garden Scissors Your Favorite Weeding Implement Hand Saw Plant Division Forks Shrub Rake Sun Screen Gloves Knee Pads Insect Repellant Tollgate Garden Advisory Council Farm Manager Roy Prentice ext prentic1@msu.edu President... Renee Cottrell Vice President... Peg Palmer Secretary... Dave Komraus Treasurer... Sue Janczarek Membership... Nancy Roggers PR... Yvonne DeMattos Fall Fair... Dennis Roggers Programs... Jackie Stengel Hospitality... Yvonne DeMattos Farm News Editor... Darretta Ferasin For membership questions or to update your current membership information send to: tollgatemembership@gmail.com MSU Tollgate Gardens Volunteers For general information and questions Contact Roy Prentice The Tollgate Gardens Advisory Council next meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 3, 2013 at 7:00 PM in the Tollgate Office Building. All Tollgate Gardens Volunteer members are welcome to attend. Listings to contact individual Council Members and Area Garden Leaders are available at all general meetings and in the Volunteer Communication Center. Tollgate Volunteer Membership is renewed annually. The 2012 Tollgate Garden Volunteers membership is from December 1, 2012 to November 30, THE TOLLGATE FARM NEWS Tollgate Gardens Volunteer Office Meadowbrook Novi, MI, Page 10