Calendar: Effingham County Tractor School

EFFINGHAM, Ill. — Effingham County Tractor School will be at 6:45 p.m. Tuesdays, March 29-April 26, at the Effingham County Extension office, 1209 N. Wenthe Drive, Effingham.

The program is designed to increase awareness and safety among youth working on small engines, or operating lawn mowers, garden tractors and farm tractors. Participants do not need to be 4-H members or reside in Effingham County to attend.

Cost is $20. Register at tinyurl.com/2p8efuw8.

Forest management workshop

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Forest Management for the Private Woodland Owner will be 9 a.m. to noon ET March 26 at the John S. Wright Forestry Center, 1007 North 725 West, West Lafayette.

There will be a walking tour of Martell Forest discussing the biology and management of native forests and tree plantings for a variety of objectives including forest health, diversity, wildlife habitat, recreation and investment.

Restrooms will be available on site. Bring your own refreshments and wear field clothing appropriate for the weather. Participants will be walking on trails with some hills and brush.

For more information, contact Lenny Farlee at lfarlee@purdue.edu or 765-448-9023.

Serve it safely

MARSHALL, Ill. — Does your club, church, or organization raise funds by holding community dinners, bake sales, bazaars or other food events? Don’t miss the Serve It Safely seminar, where volunteers will learn how to prepare, store and serve food for public consumption. The cost of the workshop is $10 per organization and includes a take-home manual and food thermometer.

The event will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. March 29 at the Clark County Extension office, 15493 N. State Hwy. 1, Marshall. To register, visit go.illinois.edu/SafeServe or call the Extension office at 217-826-5422.

Refresh your community festival

Every community has events or festivals for which it is known. But could your celebration use a refresher to attract newer, younger audiences and volunteers?

Join Extension Community and Economic Development Educator Tiffany Macke for a virtual roundtable for community planning groups to connect and share new ideas from 6 to 7:30 p.m. March 29. Presented will be best-practice models from Clark, Crawford, and Edgar counties. Guest speaker will be Dan Crews who has taught Conference and Event Planning for nearly 15 years at Eastern Illinois and was the director of Celebration: A Festival of the Arts at Eastern from 1992-2019.

Fun and Games Night

DANVILLE, Ind. — The Hendricks County Extension Homemakers’ Fun and Games Night will be at 6 p.m. ET March 29 at the Hendricks County 4-H Fairgrounds, 1900 E. Main St., Danville.

Pelleted seeds program

An online program on how to use pelleted seeds as well as the advantages and disadvantages of this colorful seed product will be presented by Mary Fischer, Extension horticulture educator, at 1:30 p.m. March 29.

The program is part of the Four Seasons Gardening series. Register at tinyurl.com/5dn6zmyc.

Pruning hardwood trees

Get an overview on hardwood pruning techniques designed to increase high-grade sawlog and veneer log potential in an online program from 2 to 3 p.m. March 30. Jay Hayek, University of Illinois Extension forester, will discuss pruning techniques designed to maximize return on investment and realize future income potential.

The program is part of the Forestry Spring Webinar series. Weekly sessions are at 2 p.m. Wednesdays through May 25. Register at tinyurl.com/2p8rrb8c.

Totally Tomatoes, Perfect Peppers

ELIZABETH, Ill. — Join University of Illinois Extension Educator Grant McCarty for a presentation on Totally Tomatoes and Perfect Peppers at 1 p.m. March 30 at the Elizabeth Community Building, Hwy. 20 W, Elizabeth.

The program is part of the Spring Break Gardening series. Cost is $5. Register at tinyurl.com/ycktsttf.

Tropical Plants for the Home Patio

CARLINVILLE, Ill. — Create your backyard paradise with tropical plants. The program Tropical Plants for the Home Patio will be from 2 to 3 p.m. March 31 at the Macoupin County Extension office, #60 Carlinville Plaza, Carlinville. Extension Horticulture Educator Andrew Holsinger will guide you through selecting tropical plants for our region, proper care, and overwintering techniques.

The program also will be available online. Register at tinyurl.com/2p89ucpd.

Prescribed fire workshop

DUBOIS, Ind. — Learn-n-Burn Woodland Prescribed Fire Workshop will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET April 1 at the Southern Indiana Purdue Ag Center, 11371 E. Purdue Farm Road, Dubois.

Join Forestry and wildlife professionals for an introduction to prescribed fire in woodlands. The workshop will cover the benefits of prescribed fire for forest regeneration and wildlife, safety considerations when using prescribed fire, prescribed fire equipment, and technical and cost-share opportunities for private landowners. There also will be a woodland prescribed fire demonstration (weather permitting).

Cost is $25 and includes lunch. Register at tinyurl.com/yckaddem.

For more information, contact Ron Rathfon at ronr@purdue.edu or 812-678-5049.

Piatt County Gardener’s Day

MONTICELLO, Ill. — Gardener’s Day hosted by Piatt County master gardeners will be from 8 a.m. to noon April 2 at the 4-H Memorial Camp at Allerton Park, 499 Old Timber Road, Monticello.

Keynote address at 9 a.m. will be Creating a Butterfly Eden with Dr. Michael R. Jeffords, coauthor of “Butterflies of Illinois: A Field Guide.”

Session 1 programs, 10 a.m.: Living with Wildlife in Your Garden, Peggy Doty, Extension educator; Grow Something New: Luffa, Artichoke, Ginger, Horseradish, Erin Harper, Extension educator; and Plants for Pollinators, Ryan Pankau, Extension educator.

Session 2 programs, 11 a.m.: Native Trees and Shrubs, Sarah Vogel, Extension educator; Spring Container Gardening, Candice Hart, state master gardener specialist; and Make Mine a Hummingbird Garden, Peggy Doty, Extension educator.

Cost is $25. Register at tinyurl.com/4e5u7njy. For more information, contact Beth Miglin at bmiglin@illinois.edu or 217-762-2191.