2015 CCMGA Picnic

Thanks to the outstanding CCMGA cooks, the 2015 picnic at Barboursville Park on August 29 was a huge success.  While R. L. Mallory and Tom Bell manned the grill, we held our August business meeting.  Members who earned Master Gardener certification since our last meeting were recognized with the presentation of certificates and name badges by Debbie Martin and Jane Wilson representing the education committee.  We learned that our advisor and former WVU Extension Agent for Cabell County, Rich Sherman, has accepted a position as agriculture science teacher in Minford, Ohio.  The group expressed concern that WVU place an agent in Cabell County to replace Rich as soon as possible.

A number of our members and guest took home garden related door prizes.  Steve Beckelhimer donated 25 mason bee nests that he built this summer.  The membership can decide whether to sell these houses as a fund raiser or to give them away as door prizes at future meetings. 

After our meal, geocachers, Brian Cordle and Austin Mullins, introduced our group to geocaching in Barboursville Park.  Our group worked in teams to use GPS receivers to find hints in hidden containers to solve a gardening puzzle.  Everyone had a great time.  Many thanks to Brian and Austin for giving our group a great learning experience.

Plans continue for the 2016 MGIT classes.  All classes will be held at Enslow Park Presbyterian Church on Tuesdays from 6:30 – 9:00 pm beginning January 5, 2016.  At the October meeting a list will be available for members to sign up to assist with one or more classes.  Members can earn either education or volunteer service hours by assisting with a class.  

WVU Extension Office

Our adviser, Cabell County’s WVU Extension Agent, Rich Sherman, has asked that our members contact the members of the Cabell County Commission regarding the location of the Extension Office.  The letter below has been prepared for us by our recording secretary, Connie Berk.  A copy of the letter will be at the CCMGA picnic on August 29 for any member who would like to sign.  In addition, any member is invited to prepare an individual letter to the Commission.  All letters will be given to Extension Agent, Nila Cobb, who will present the letters to the Commissioners as a packet. Connie's letter is included below for your review and comment.  Please use the comment link at the bottom of the post to indicate any revisions that you would like to suggest.

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August 29, 2015

Dear Cabell County Commission Members,

The membership of the Cabell County Master Gardener Association, Inc. would like to express our support for the acquisition of the FOP property on 4-H Camp Road near Barboursville, WV to become the new location for the Cabell County WVU Extension Office. 

The current location on Howell’s Mill Road is at the site of the old county farm and is not only inadequate but is also becoming a dangerous building.  The ceilings are falling in and the floors are sagging to the point of near collapse.  In addition, with the increased utilization of courthouse services at the adjacent building, parking for the Extension Office is limited at best.

We believe that the building near the 4-H Camp will provide plenty of space, allowing the Extension Office to hold courses and to serve the agriculture needs of the citizens of Cabell County, WV.  The building has a great deal of usable space, adequate parking and is a much safer site for both Extension Office employees and visitors alike.  This will be a much more inviting space to work in and to visit.

It is our understanding that the WVU Extension Service would provide the funding to remodel and finish the building, to make the space meet the specific needs of the Service.  The membership of the Cabell County Master Gardener Association, Inc. is very supportive of the WVU Extension Service and are willing to assist with the transition in any way.  Many Association members with trucks have even volunteered to transport items from the existing office to the new location, if approved.

In summary, the following members of the Cabell County Master Gardener Association, Inc. urge the Cabell County Commission to please consider approval of the purchase of the FOP building near the 4-H Camp in Barboursville, WV for use by the WVU Extension Service.

Thank you for considering our request.

CCMGA July Update

Hello Cabell County Master Gardeners and friends,

I hope that everyone has been able to get out and enjoy their gardens now that the monsoons of the past few weeks have (hopefully) passed.

I just want to pass a few reminders along to you as we move from July into August.

Picnic

Our annual picnic is scheduled for 3 pm on August 29 in Shelter #1 at Barboursville Park.  We will recognize the newly certified master gardeners with a presentation of certificates and their WVMG name badge.  We will have a brief business meeting while our meal is being prepared.  The evening’s activity will be geocaching with Brian Cordle.  Brian will take us on a GPS scavenger hunt around the park and introduce us to geocaching as a great way to get outdoors and enjoy nature.  If you would like to engage in this activity please wear shoes that are appropriate for walking around the park.

If you are planning to come to the meeting, please contact Jane Wilson (jackjanewilson@gmail.com or 304- 416-1740) and let her know what side dish, condiments, lettuce, tomato, onions or dessert you would like to bring to the picnic to share.  In your message to Jane please let her know how many will be in your group.  This picnic is a family event so please bring guests just let Jane know how many so she can plan for the food.  CCMGA will provide the meat, breads, cheese, soft drinks and the paper products.

Name Badges

Outgoing treasurer, Greg Norris, will be ordering name badges for recently certified Master Gardeners.  Anyone who needs a new name badge should contact Greg (wvframer@ntelos.net) by August 8. 

State Fair

The State Fair of West Virginia will be held at Fairlea, WV from August 14-23.  If you are planning to go to the fair, you may want to stop by the WVMGA demonstration garden since our group made a contribution to expand this display.  You can also volunteer hours by working at the demonstration garden.  A posting on our website gives more information on signing up to volunteer.

International Master Gardener Conference

The International Master Gardener Conference is scheduled for September 22-25 in Council Bluffs, Iowa.  More links to the conference and more information is on our website.

2016 MGIT Class

The class for new Master Gardeners is now being planned and should be starting in January 2016.  Debbie Martin and Jane Wilson are working to plan for instructors to present required and elective sessions for the MGITs.  Anyone who would like to assist them should contact Debbie (MartinPTA@aol.com) or Jane (jackjanewilson@gmail.com). 

If you know anyone who would like to consider becoming a Master Gardener and would like more information, please direct them to our website (www.cabellcountymastergardeners.com) where they will see a link near the top of the page that says “Sign up to get more information on becoming a Master Gardener”.

Upcoming 2015 Meetings

Our next regular meeting is at 6:30 on October 13 at Enslow Park Presbyterian Church where Mary Beckelhimer will tell us about the Botany of Witchcraft.  On November 10, Tim Hardesty and Joe Browning of the Ohio Valley Camera Club will give us tips on taking better photos of our gardens.  Our Christmas party will be on Saturday, December 5 with wreath making and holiday cheer.  The December meeting will be at the Boyd County Extension Office with Lori Bowling. The meeting schedule is posted to the “About CCMGA” page of our website.

2016 Meetings

The CCMGA Executive Committee is looking at potential meeting dates and topics.  If you know of a good presentation or, better yet, if you are willing to present a session yourself, please let me know (beckelhimer@gmail.com) and we would love to continue the education programs at our 2016 meetings.

Website

Please continue to watch our website (www.cabellcountymastergardeners.com), especially our Events page where announcements are posted.  Our calendar also identified many educational and service opportunities.  The most recent treasurer reports and meeting minutes are also posted to the “About CCMGA” section. I am thinking of ways to make our website more useful, informative and user friendly.  Please give me any feedback or suggestions that you have.

Enjoy the rest of your summer. I will look forward to seeing everyone at the picnic.  Please feel free to contact me at any time.

Steve Beckelhimer, President 2015-2016

Cabell County Master Gardener Association, Inc.

beckelhimer@gmail.com

Huntington in Bloom in the News

A story in the Huntington Herald Dispatch covers the care for the Huntington in Bloom plantings by the Cabell-Huntington Coalition for the Homeless.
http://www.herald-dispatch.com/x45919512/The-Green-Team-keeps-downtown-flowers-blooming

Photo by Sholten Singer/The Herald-Dispatch

Master Gardener Demonstration Garden at WV State Fair

As you are aware, the CCMGA recently made a contribution to the WVMGA to make improvements to the demonstration gardens at the State Fair of West Virginia.  This handicap accessible garden is a great place to showcase the work and talent of West Virginia Master Gardeners.
If any of our members or friends will be attending the state fair this year please take some snapshots and let us all know how it looks.

If any of our group will be attending the WV State Fair and would like to volunteer at the demonstration garden, information is below:

One Million Pollinator Gardens

The National Pollinator Network, a collaboration of nearly two dozen conservation groups with the support of First Lady Michelle Obama.has a goal of one million new pollinator friendly gardens by 2016,  

Any garden, regardless of size and location, can be registered on their website: www.millionpollinatorgardens.org to count toward the total. And everything counts, “from window boxes and garden plots to farm borders, golf courses, school gardens, corporate and university campuses,” they said in a press release. The Network’s job is to provide the resources and information for people to plant and maintain pollinator gardens, including plant recommendations, where to buy seeds and plants, and how to plant a sustainable garden using minimal pesticides.

“The Million Pollinator Garden Challenge gives nearly every American the chance to be one in a million, by planting seeds and plants for bees and pollinators,” said Craig Regelbrugge of AmericanHort. “They are going to look to trusted sources for plants and expertise. This is a huge opportunity for horticulture.”

May 12 Field Trip - R. L. and Linda Mallory's Home

The May 12 CCMGA field trip to the home of R. L. and Linda Mallory was a great one.  We had about 20 members present to walk through the gardens and learn more about the varied and unusual plants.  We learned about water gardens, vegetable gardens, native plants and even winter hardy banana trees. 

We went into the tropical greenhouse and were amazed by the cacti, succulents and tropical flowers.  Linda gave us tips on how to grow and propagate these beautiful and interesting plants.  We then had a chance to put her advice into practice by making arrangements of cacti and succulents. 

We had two hours of great gardening education as well as great conversation and inspiration.