Lenoir County Master Gardener Volunteers (MGs) have had an eventful quarter of community involvement and education! It was kicked off by celebrating National Honey Bee Day on August 20th at our Lenoir County Farmers Market. Neuse Regional Beekeepers hosted a variety of educational booths. Our booth included educational material about pollinators, native bees, and native plants as well as a bee craft for the children participating! 

On August 24th Junior MGs, 4-H youth, families, MGs, Extension Staff, among others met at the extension office to participate in creating Christmas tree ornaments for the 2022 US Capitol Christmas Tree provided by the USDA Forest Service. The theme this year “from the mountains to the sea” was showcased by using items that are specific to eastern North Carolina. Items were cut, glued, painted, and assembled using slices of dried fruit, pine cones, dried okra, oyster shells, and pieces of cork.

Pollinator Field Day was hosted on September 24th at Kinston’s Cunningham Research Station. This was a hands-on learning experience that utilized the research station's resources. This includes the Neuse Regional Beekeepers beehives which are housed on the property. Native bees, native plants, and honey bees were the main topics of the day and we provided a table of informational material as well as answered questions.

October was also a busy month as the fair was in town. The informational booth we set up won 1st place! Throughout the week different MGs manned the booth and shared information about horticulture as well as upcoming events. The Richard Caswell Historic Site held a Community Fall Fest on the 15th. We participated in educating the community about the future site of the children’s garden as well as assisting the children in making leaf prints. 

Pumpkin Day, an annual event for us, was held at the Kinston’s Cunningham Research Station on October 21st for our community. Approximately 20 MGs, our Extension Staff, as well as over 100 participants enjoyed a fun-filled morning! At least 13 activities were offered that exposed the participant to ecology, plants, the food chain and its interconnections, as well as how to be good stewards of the earth! 

Along with community events taking place, our MGs have placed a bee hotel on our extension campus. We were inspired to do this after visiting the bee hotel at the JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, NC. After careful research and planning, the bee hotel, our new Air-Bee-N-Bee, has come to life at its permanent location and is now ready for check-ins!

National Honey Bee Day (Bee Friendly Day) at the Lenoir County Farmers Market

Master Gardeners Patricia Bizzell (top photo) and Marsha Lovick (bottom photo) help participants create a leaf-rub at the Community Fall Fest hosted by The Richard Caswell Historic Site.

Master Gardeners received first place at the Lenoir County Agricultural Fair in October for our informational booth. Master Gardeners manned the booth sharing information about upcoming events and horticulture. [Top photo includes Master Gardener Rebecca Hill; bottom photo includes Master Gardner Barbara Sykes, Rebecca Hill, and Marsha Lovick (left to right).]

A popular station at Pumpkin Day, led by Master Gardener Margaret Butler, included pumpkin golf! Most participants visited this activity multiple times to try their hand at pumpkin golf.