Mark your calendar: Wayne Extension setting up programs on herbs, eagles, bugs and more

A zookeeper, professor, wildlife educators, gardeners, artists, bug collectors and a dietitian and herb grower are among the experts coming to the Wayne County Fair for our Ohio State University Extension Family and Consumer Sciences exhibit.

We are excited to welcome a wide variety of speakers for our presentations in the Grange Rotunda, Monday, Sept. 11, through Thursday, Sept. 14.

More: Wayne County 4-h members qualify to present at Ohio State Fair

On Wayne County Schools Day (Monday), the United Titanium Bug Zoo from the Ohio State University, Wooster Campus, and the Wilderness Center of Wilmot will be in the Rotunda as well as Adam McVicker from the Wayne Center for the Arts with his popular pottery demonstration. For those wanting tips on how to pack fun, healthy lunches for your school children, Melinda Hill, OSU Extension Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, will start the day with her “Packables and Snackables” presentation.

Thursday has a master gardener theme and Tuesday and Wednesday are packed with variety of informative presentations. Here is the four-day schedule.

Monday, Sept. 11

10:30 a.m. – “Packables and Snackables” – Hill will provide ideas on how to prepare foods for quick and easy packed lunches and after-school snacks. She’ll address nutritional needs, food safety and tips for making packing meals hassle-free and fun for the children.

11:30 a.m. – Meet The Wilderness Center’s Ambassador Animals - Zea, a red corn snake, and Gus, an Eastern box turtle. In case the weather is too hot for the animals’ visit, the Wilderness Center will provide an interactive presentation on fun nature topics.

12:30 p.m. Pottery Demonstration by Adam McVicker, Wayne Center for the Arts

2 p.m.  – “The Ease of Herb Growing” – Olivia Lang, owner of Happy Hens Farm, Fredericksburg, will talk about what options are available for growing herbs conveniently in your backyard, how to keep these plants happy and healthy with minimum inputs, and how herbs add a home-grown taste to your meals.

3 p.m. – Bug Zoo presenters Jeni Filbrun, zookeeper and program manager, and Carrie Elvey, the zoo’s community outreach specialist, will bring some Ohio native insects from the zoo’s collection. The pair will be joined by OSU Entomology graduate student Erick Martinez, who will talk about proper methods to make a bug collection.

Tuesday, Sept. 12

10:30 a.m. – “So You Think You Want A Greenhouse” – Jeannine Snyder, Ohio State University Extension master gardener, will talk about what people should know before they set up a greenhouse.

11:30 a.m. – “Eagles Among Us” – John Lorson, Wayne Soil and Water Conservation District manager, will share the story of the near demise and spectacular resurgence of the Bald Eagle in Ohio.

12:30 a.m. – “Making of the Murals” – Local artist Kristin Lorson will talk about what inspired her to create the murals for the Buckeye Agricultural Museum and Education Center across from the Wayne County Fairgrounds. Kristin has done all the interior and exterior art and mural work for the center and she will share the process of how the artwork came together.

2 p.m. – “Overcoming Genealogy Roadblocks” – Deborah Kitko, genealogy librarian at the Wayne County Public Library, will talk about how to navigate roadblocks in genealogy research, including spelling variations, limited or no indexing, non-existent or hard-to-access records, not thoroughly researching records and not understanding the documents or the historical context of the documents used by family historians.

3 p.m. – “Top 10 Good and Bad Bugs In Homes and Gardens” – Andy Michel, associate dean and director of the OSU College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Wooster Campus, and entomology professor, will discuss some of the most common bugs you may find around your homes and gardens. Some are good, some are pests, and even a few may look like pests, but are actually good ones! Learn how to correctly identify them and how you can encourage the good bugs to stay and the bad bugs to go away.

Wednesday, Sept. 13

10:30 a.m. “Consumer Scams and How To Avoid Them” - Danielle Murphy from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office will talk about how scammers use a variety of tactics to make their offers seem legitimate. Her presentation will explore some of the most common types of scams faced by consumers today, as well as how to reduce your risk of identity theft.

11:30 a.m. “How To Put Your Garden To Bed” – OSU Extension Master Gardener Martha Belden will share tips on preparing your garden for winter.

1 p.m. Quilt Show-and-Tell by the Tree City Quilt Guild. Members will show some quilts they have made and talk about techniques and quilting methods.

3 p.m. “Keep Your Heart Happy, Eat Heart Healthy!” – Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of Americans. Wooster Community Hospital Dietitian Rita Aboud will review the cornerstones of heart healthy nutrition, including a self-assessment, interactive visual aids and fun dialogue.

Thursday, Sept. 14

10:30 a.m. “How To Garden For Mason Bees” – OSU Extension Master Gardener Lee Horrisberger will explain how research supports the importance of the solitary mason bee in pollination. Native to North America, the solitary bees are beneficial in the pollination of flower and vegetable gardens. Lee will discuss the bee’s life phases and how building bee houses could help benefit your backyards and gardens while rewarding you with a new generation of bees each spring.

11:30 a.m. “Seven Proven Benefits of Houseplants” by OSU Master Gardener Mark Wiest

12:30 p.m. “Water Quality and Plants “ - Does it matter what water you use to water plants? OSU Extension Master Gardener Gary Horrisberger will compare data using city water, rainwater and well water.

2 p.m. “Taking the Mystery Out of Coneflowers” Paul Snyder, Secrest Arboretum Operations Manager and Master Gardener coordinator will talk about the arboretum’s three-year evaluation to determine the best coneflowers for our area. The evaluation is recording horticultural traits such as winter survival, growth habit, flower quality, disease resistance and pollinator visitation.

3 p.m. “Yard and Garden Chemical Safety” by Frank Becker, Ohio State University Extension Agricultural and Natural Resources Educator, Wayne County

Be sure to stop and see us at the fair!

Laurie Sidle is an Ohio State University Extension Family and Consumer Sciences and 4-H program assistant and may be reached at 330-264-8722 or sidle.31@osu.edu.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Here's what Wayne Extension plans for County fair in September