Extension Report - Roger Larson, Extension office director, announced he has

developed a survey to evaluate the Peoria MG program. It will ask members to rate the

Volunteer Opportunities/Projects, the Continuing Education programs, and the MG

Meetings. It will also have space for comments and recommendations. This survey will

be mailed mid-September. Answers may be made anonymously. The results will be

tabulated by Roger and used to provide direction for 2008.

The bylaws have been reviewed and draft changes made which streamline and simplify

the text. The draft will be sent by mail in October and will be voted on at the November

meeting.

Projects are going well this year thanks to forty-three MG's who

have recorded 1,389 volunteer hours and 219.5 education hours to

date. Bobbi Grimes completed her internship on 6/21/2007 and can

now enter the ranks of "active" membership.

On the state level, there will be a silent auction at the State

Convention. Do you have an item you can donate? Profits will

benefit the State office for expenses such as the newsletter. Please

contact the Mason Co. office to report the type, size, etc. of your

donated item.

Projects: There were some ooh's and aah's when Dixie Krisher

showed us a new sign that Carole Johnson's son made to put in the

gardens at Belwood. You can't overlook the MG involvement at the

Belwood gardens now! 610 pounds of produce from the PAR

Garden have been donated to the Salvation Army as a result of 115

volunteer hours. Zinnias and sunflowers planted at the Fredonia/

Western garden for the Greenway project are in full bloom and

brightening the area.

Bartonville Farmer's Market - Kathy Hasselberg and Carole

Johnson had a fun day at the Bartonville Farmer's Market while

demonstrating seed gathering techniques. The suggestion was

made that future presenters take copies of the Help Line Forms and

other MG bulletins.

I.C.C. Landscape & Garden Day: Stan Strickler will be co-chair

for the I.C.C. Garden Day event. Margie Karl, chairman, and Stan

are looking for a suggestion for a demonstration topic and handouts,

samples of diseased plants, and volunteer help for that day, as

well as for cleanup of the beds prior to the event. (See more info on

page 3)

New Business - Master Gardener's will have an opportunity to

share their knowledge by writing articles for a monthly publication

in "News and Views". Any MG who wants to write a 500-700

word article should let Melanie Martin know in advance. Articles

are due the 2nd Tues. of each month.

The next Board meeting will be September 11. The next general

meeting will be an evening potluck on Wednesday, September 19

at the Extension Auditorium. Judy Ziemba will speak.

The August program was presented by Ella Maxwell, horticulturist

and arborist from D.A. Hoerr's, who spoke on "Diagnosing Plant

Damage". We saw some samples of problem plants, and worked

our way through her tips on how to find the cause of the problem.

It wasn't all work...there was some fun, too. You can ask Nancy

Coon how her cucumber salad tasted!!!

- Bonnie Hunt, Recording Secretary

Luthy Botanical Garden staff thanks the Master Gardeners for

donating nearly 650 hours in the first half of the year. MG volunteers

helped construct the new Rose Garden and maintained annual

and perennial beds. They have also begun holding an information

booth about the MG program at our special events. It's still in the

first stages, but volunteers answered a lot of questions and received

a positive public response from the booth at our Spring Plant Sale.

- Sarah Gardener

Illinois Central College, East Peoria Campus Near main entrance off Route 24

2007 Theme: Edible Landscaping

Thursday Sept. 6 & Saturday Sept. 8

Featuring All-America Selections

2002 National Merit Award for Educational Excellence from the All-America Selections Committee

Master Gardener's are a part of the University of Illinois

Extension. Our goal is to share unbiased, reliable, researchbased

information with home landscapers and gardeners. We

also serve our communities by participating in the many Master

Gardener volunteer projects. One of those projects is the Tri-

County Master Gardener Demo Garden located by the Horticulture

Lab at ICC. We encourage you to come and take a tour of

this garden. We will have Master Gardener's on hand providing

a free plant clinic to answer your plant questions. There will

also be handouts and demonstrations.

This is a free, fun filled day for the gardener who lives in all of

us. There will also be various vendors on hand and a lot of great

information. We hope to see you there.

If you are unable to attend but would like more information

about the Master Gardener program, please contact Peoria

County Extension Office at 309-685-3140 or visit our web site

at http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/state/

MGs needed: ICC Demo Garden is gearing up for Landscape

& Garden Days. We could still use help with weeding, deadheading,

mulching and assistance in placing labels/signage. The

raised beds are well underway but we could always use a few

extra hands; we are hoping the structure should be completed by

9/1. There will also be a plant sale as part of LSG days. If you

have any plants to donate, please pot them, label, and price.

They can be dropped off at ICC on Friday evening. If you

would like to assist with this project in any way, please call Joni

Wolffe at 694-2024 or Sunita at 444-7565. Peoria Master

Gardeners interested in volunteering to help at ICC Landscape

& Garden Day can also contact Margie Karl at 309-657-5926 or

Stan Strickler at 309-692-3549.

THURSDAY EVENING PREQUEL: 6:00-8:00pm

Arboretum tour (6:00pm) with Glenn Herold

Lecture series (7:00pm) "The Evolution of Corn" by

Don Jenkins, Agriculture Professor

SATURDAY: 9am-3pm

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Plant Clinic by the Tri-County Master Gardeners. Bring a

plant for on-the-spot diagnosis.

Vegetable Taste Testing.

8th Annual Photography Contest – vote for your favorite.

Plant Sale - featuring hostas, conifers, and shrubs by ICC

Horticulture Department.

"Children's Corner" (face painting and other activities).

The ever popular "Putt for Plants".

Garden-related items will be available for purchase

Lunch (your purchase supports Phi Theta Kappa at ICC)

SEMINARS AND DEMONSTRATIONS:

"Growing and Using Small Fruits" 9:15-10:15am

Corinne Schaidle – Metamora

"Cooking From Your Garden" 10:30-11:30am

Chefs Charles Robertson & Joy Ashwood (ICC Culinary Arts

Instructors)

"Heirloom Vegetables" 1:00-2:00pm

Keith Crotz, American Botanist Booksellers, Chillicothe

"Using Ornamental Vegetables in the Landscape"

2:15–3:00pm Genny Gibbs, ICC Horticulture Department