Rebecca Krans, MSU Extension photo Bernie Driggs, center, presents on honey bees while Mark Edens looks on. Both are members of the Northwoods Beekeepers Club. Driggs will host a presentation Saturday at the Kiwanis Home t& Garden Show/Pancake Feed in Escanaba.

ESCANABA — The Escanaba Kiwanis Home & Garden Show/Pancake Feed will take place Friday through Sunday in the Ruth Butler Building on the Upper Peninsula State Fairgrounds in Escanaba.

Michigan State University Extension staff will provide many free educational presentations and resources to the public. Along with all the gardening information provided by MSU Extension consumer horticulture staff and Extension Master Gardeners, MSU Extension nutrition staff will be present on designated days to teach about food preservation and healthy food planning.

Entry to the show is free, but they invite the public to support the pancake feed, with proceeds going to support the Escanaba Kiwanis community projects.

Show times are 5 to 8 p.m. Eastern time Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.

The MSU Extension will host these educational sessions —

Friday

— 5:30 to 6 p.m.: “Integrated Wildlife Damage Management in Michigan Gardens,” James DeDecker, director of the Upper Peninsula Research and Extension Center. The presentation will cover the background on wildlife damage in Michigan, provide tips on identifying and diagnosing wildlife damage, review of wildlife damage management strategies available to gardeners and highlight education resources available for addition information.

— 6:30 to 7 p.m.: “Tools for Food Preservation,” Stephanie Ostrenga-Sprague, MSU Extension supervising/food safety educator. She will discuss different tools that are used for food preservation or to make food preservation easier.

Free pressure canning lid testing will be available Friday from Ostrenga-Sprague.

Saturday

— 9 to 9:45 a.m.: “Growing Vegetables in Small Spaces,” Rebecca Krans, MSU Extension consumer horticulture educator. She will show how to successfully grow vegetables. The workshop will include demonstration of small space gardens, which will be provided as door prizes.

— 10:15 to 11 a.m.: “Soil Block Demonstration,” Amanda Ward, MSU Extension Master Gardener trainee. She will show how to create soil blocks for starting seeds and decrease plastic use.

— 12:30 to 1:15 p.m.: “Larvinia,” children’s puppet show with Jackie Manchester, MSU Extension Advanced Master Gardener. She will present a delightful family-friendly puppet show about a special caterpillar’s life cycle.

— 2 to 3 p.m.: “The Marvelous Honey Bee,” Bernie Driggs, beekeeper for over 40 years, 2019 Beekeeper of the Year Award for Michigan Beekeeper’s Association. He will discuss honey bees and what’s involved in keeping honey bees.

–3:15 to 4 p.m., “Transforming What You Have Into What You Want: My solution to a Difficult Landscaping Challenge,” Jackie Manchester, MSU Extension Advanced Master Gardener. Learn smart concepts of the right plant, right place and the importance of soil testing, and the environment for garden success.

Sunday

— 9:30 to 10:15 a.m., “Plant a Square Foot Herb Garden,” Rebecca Krans, MSU Extension consumer horticulture educator. Learn how to create a convenient herb garden for your deck. This completed garden will then be provided as a door prize for those attending.

–11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., “Food Budgeting and Meal Planning,” Amber Hayward, MSU Extension community nutrition instructor, will show how to eat healthy and save money.

MSU Extension will also be providing over 35 color Smart Gardening tip sheets focused around smart gardening topics and practices that are more earth-friendly and sustainable, e.g., don’t guess, soil test; right plant, right place; shoreland plantings; pollinator protection and many more. Extension Master Gardener smart gardening volunteers will also be on hand to assist the public with all the resources and remind gardeners of MSU’s Ask Extension online question resource and the toll-free lawn and garden hotline, 1-888-678-3464.

Extension Master Gardeners will lead a family friendly seeding activity and flower pollination make-and-take item. They will have information available about how to join the Extension Master Gardener program and different volunteer projects that they contribute to across the Upper Peninsula.

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, go to https://extension.msu.edu. To contact an expert in your area, go to https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888- 678-3464).