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Overview
You won’t want to miss the huge gardening event, “A Garden Affair” April 28, 8am - 4pm at St. John's Lutheran Church in Peru. All earnings from garden talks (details in the column at right) will go to nonprofits in our area such as the IV Food Pantry, Hall Township Food Pantry, IVPADS, Horizon House, and IVAR. Mendota Lutheran Home and St. John’s youth group will also receive proceeds from the other activities scheduled.
Our great speakers have all spoken at the the Chicago Flower and Garden Show. The cost to attend each presentation is $5. All of the $5 will go to the specified nonprofit. For example, all the money received for the first talk will go to the Illinois Valley Food Pantry. If the church is filled, the nonprofits would receive over $1,500. In addition, at each of the garden talks you will have an opportunity to win a door prize.
Garden enthusiasts or beginners:
*** Attend the presentation by Mike Nowak. His talk is entitled, “I'm Not Really a Garden Expert, I Just Play One on the Radio”. He is the radio talk show host on gardening on Sunday mornings from 9 to 11am on Chicago’s stations, WCPT 820AM and 92.5, 92.7 and 99.9 FM.
*** Attend Chicagoland Gardening editor Carolyn Ulrich’s talk on perennials.
*** Attend Beth Botts talk on vegetable gardening in small spots, raised beds and the new trend toward creating garden containers that are both edible and beautiful.
*** Attend Laura Gomez and Serena Joyner’s presentation on garden maintenance.
*** Over 100 varieties of perennials, annual plants, and herbs will be available for sale.
*** Not sure what to buy? Master gardeners will be available to advise you on the best plants that we have available for the conditions of your yard, whether it is shady or sunny, wet or dry, etc. Volunteers can even plant them for you in your purchased container.
*** A new addition to the activities is a “Potting Party”. This will be a special promotion to benefit Mendota Lutheran Home.
*** Attend free workshops such as the two demonstrations by Mike Watts, city of Peru horticulturist, of container gardening using plants that are available for sale. A planted container will be given away at each of the two sessions. Other workshops include one on herbs, Master Gardner program, and flower arranging.
*** Visit with more than 20 vendor booths from all aspects of gardening. Each will be have a booth on the front lawn and be able to help you with your gardening needs including garden tools, lawn maintenance, lawn furniture, etc.
*** Attend the garden talk, “Six of the Prettiest Gardens in Rockford” given by Jane Snively, executive director of the highly praised Klehm Arboretum and Botanic Garden.
*** Watch segments of the acclaimed documentary television series entitled “Gardens of the World” with Audrey Hepburn. It is her final performance before the camera.
*** Raffle prizes will be drawn hourly beginning at 9 am. The grand prize is a package including lodging, meals and entertainment.
*** There will be fun children’s activities available at a nominal charge and supervised by a parent.
*** Food will be also available.
*** Tickets for the Garden Talks are available at the church, Illinois Valley Food and Deli and Spring Valley City Bank. Because of the large expected attendance, everyone is encouraged to purchase tickets in advance.
Most of the funds raised will be donated to local nonprofit organizations including Illinois Valley Food Pantry, Hall Township Food Pantry, Horizon House,PADs,IVAR,, St. John's Youth Group,, and other WELCA projects
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Illinois Valley PADS is a place that provides shelter, food and services to people in need. Click the logo to visit their website.
Illinois Valley Animal Rescue is a not-for-profit corporation organized to prevent the cruelty to, rescue of, care for and placement of stray and abandoned animals into permanent homes. Click the logo to visit their website.
Horizon House of Illinois Valley Inc. provides a variety of services to adults with disabilities. Serving North Central Illinois, Horizon House has two administrative facilities in Peru, Illinois, and 13 small homes in LaSalle and eastern Bureau counties. Horizon House provides a variety of residential and day services ranging from full 24-hour residential support, to intermittent in-home and employment supports, as well as day services.
St. John's Lutheran Church has 17 youth and 3 chaperones registered for the 2012 Youth Gathering: Citizens with the Saints, in New Orleans, Louisiana. What an awesome witness they will be. Please continue to keep these young people your prayers and support the many "fun"raisers that will be ongoing throughout the year.
Saturday, April 28
$5 per speaker. Tickets available through St. John’s Lutheran Church, 2000 Luther Dr, Peru (815/223-1144), Illinois Valley Food & Deli, 235 3rd St, LaSalle (815/223-8713), Spring Valley City Bank, 315 North Cornelia St., Spring Valley (815/663-2211).
Mike's talk is entitled, “I'm Not Really a Garden Expert, I Just Play One on the Radio.” Mike is the host of “The Mike Nowak Show,” Sundays from 9 to 11am on Chicago’s Progressive Talk, WCPT 820AM and 92.5, 92.7 and 99.9 FM. For a decade before coming to WCPT, he was the host of WGN Radio's “Let's Talk Gardening” and has appeared on WGN-TV Channel 9, CBS 2 Chicago and the DIY Network. He is also a writer and award-winning columnist for Chicagoland Gardening Magazine. Mike is an Illinois Master Gardener and Openlands TreeKeeper. In 2002, he co-founded the Midwest Ecological Landscaping Association and served as MELA's president for four years. He is president of the Chicago Recycling Coalition and part of the Speakers Network for SafeLawns.org, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting natural lawn care and grounds maintenance.
Mike Nowak has been the Chicago radio voice of gardening and the environment for more than thirteen years. First at WGN Radio and now at Chicago's Progressive Talk, he has informed and entertained his listeners about everything from bugs to battery recycling, from energy audits to Echinacea. Check out the website, but more important, check out "The Mike Nowak Show."
Mike Nowak has been sharing green and gardening wisdom in the Chicago area on radio for 15 years–first at WGN and now as host of "The Mike Nowak Show" on WCPT 820AM and 92.5, 92.7 and 99.9 FM. Beginning in April of 2012, he will be co-host of Dig In Chicago, a television show on Comcast cable that will feature gardening and cooking segments.
He is a writer and award-winning columnist for Chicagoland Gardening Magazine. The April, 2011 Garden Design Magazine lists Mike’s show as one of five radio programs “we’re listening to.”
Mike is an Illinois Master Gardener and Openlands TreeKeeper. In 2002, he co-founded the Midwest Ecological Landscaping Association and served as MELA's president for four years.
He is president of the Chicago Recycling Coalition and part of the Speakers Network for SafeLawns.org, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting natural lawn care and grounds maintenance.
Beth Botts is a writer, speaker, consultant, Master Gardener and Open Land Treekeeper. She writes on gardening for the Chicago Tribune and is a senior editor and writer at Chicagoland Gardening Magazine and a consulting editor at Organic Gardening Magazine. Several of her stories have won awards from the Garden Writers Association. Her website is www.thegardenbeat.com
Raised by an organic gardener on the South Side of Chicago, she now does her digging and weeding in Oak Park, just on the west edge of the city, in the shade on the north side of a four-story apartment building. She grows tomatoes and salads on the third-floor porch because that's the only place she has enough sun.
She will speak on "Vegetables Anywhere: Growing Food Wherever You Are," about vegetable gardening in small spots, raised beds and containers.
Carolyn Ulrich (11:30 am – 12:30pm)
Perennials for the Chicago Garden:
We don’t need to feel sorry for ourselves. We can’t grow everything they grow in England, but they can’t grow everything we can, either. From natives to exotics, we have abundant choices. What’s really important is how we use them. Slides were taken in my Chicago garden, throughout the region and also --for inspiration-- in England.
Carolyn is the Editor of Chicagoland Gardening Magazine.
Managing Editor of Chicagoland Gardening magazine, 1994-1999.
Wrote a weekly garden column, “The Cultivated Gardener,” for the Chicago Sun-Times from 1987-1994.
Speaker for garden clubs, 1987--present
Has written free-lance for the Chicago Tribune, Horticulture magazine, House Beautiful, Garden Design, and others.
Winner three times of the Quill and Trowel Award for magazine writing, presented by the Garden Writers Association of America. Awards were for stories in Chicagoland Gardening, Garden Design and Horticulture
Laura Gomez and Serena Joyner (1 – 2 pm)
Laura and Serena will present “Taming the Jungle”. Professional gardeners Gomez and Joyner share tips on how to care for your garden from their 25 years of experience providing detailed garden care services for clients with urban and suburban properties.
Jane Snively (2:30 – 3:30 pm)
Jane will present “Great Gardens Rockford: Six of the Prettiest Gardens You've Never Seen”. Learn about six of the prettiest gardens you've never seen with the executive director of the 155 acre Klehm Arboretum & Botanic Garden in Rockford. The Rockford Area Great Gardens coalition includes Klehm as well as Anderson Japanese Garden, Nicholas Conservatory, the Midway Village Museum & Tinker Swiss Cottage Museum Heritage Gardens and LaPaloma Garden.
We thank those listed below for helping make "A Garden Affair" a success. Your help is greatly appreciated.
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Mike's talk is entitled, “I'm Not Really a Garden Expert, I Just Play One on the Radio.” Mike is the host of “The Mike Nowak Show,” Sundays from 9 to 11am on Chicago’s Progressive Talk, WCPT 820AM and 92.5, 92.7 and 99.9 FM. For a decade before coming to WCPT, he was the host of WGN Radio's “Let's Talk Gardening” and has appeared on WGN-TV Channel 9, CBS 2 Chicago and the DIY Network. He is also a writer and award-winning columnist for Chicagoland Gardening Magazine. Mike is an Illinois Master Gardener and Openlands TreeKeeper. In 2002, he co-founded the Midwest Ecological Landscaping Association and served as MELA's president for four years. He is president of the Chicago Recycling Coalition and part of the Speakers Network for SafeLawns.org, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting natural lawn care and grounds maintenance.
Beth Botts is a writer, speaker, consultant, Master Gardener and Open Land Treekeeper. She writes on gardening for the Chicago Tribune and is a senior editor and writer at Chicagoland Gardening Magazine and a consulting editor at Organic Gardening Magazine. Several of her stories have won awards from the Garden Writers Association. Her website is 
