WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Ill. — The Devil’s Kitchen Lake Kayak Botany Tour will be 8 to 11:30 a.m. July 30. Enjoy a relaxing paddle around Devil’s Kitchen Lake while learning about the native plants and trees within the national wildlife refuge. This event is co-sponsored by the University of Illinois Extension Forestry program and the Southern Chapter of the Illinois Native Plant Society.

An experienced guide will lead the way along the undeveloped shoreline of the lake that is located within the Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge between Marion and Carbondale in Williamson County. Participants will learn about aquatic and wetland plants as well as the forests and bluffs that surround the pristine 810-acre lake.

Participants must provide their own kayak, personal flotation device and equipment. This is a remote location without access to facilities. Participants should also bring drinking water, a snack, sunscreen, sunglasses, a hat, and a dry bag or case for protecting keys and phones.

Register at go.illinois.edu/KBT. The tour is free, but participants will need a day pass or annual pass to access the Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge. Passes are available at the Refuge Visitor Center located at 8588 Route 148, Marion.

Help desk

CLINTON, Ill. — The DeWitt County Master Gardener Help Desk will be from 10 a.m. to noon July 30 at the Vespasian Warner Library, 310 N. Quincy St., Clinton.

Get garden tips and have any of your gardening questions answered.

Lawrence County Jr. Fair

SUMNER, Ill. — Lawrence County Jr. Fair, July 30-Aug. 5, 1117 4H Road, Sumner; www.lawrencecountyfair.org; inyart@illinois.edu; 618-843-7138.

Effingham County Fair

ALTAMONT, Ill. — Effingham County Fair, July 30-Aug. 6, 722 E. Cumberland Road, Altamont; www.effinghamcountyfair.com; roxiewendling@hotmail.com; 618-267-3395 or 888-854-FAIR.

Tractor Driving Contest

ALTAMONT, Ill. — The Effingham Co. 4-H Tractor Driving Contest will be 10:30 a.m. to noon July 30 at the Effingham County Fairgrounds, 722 E. Cumberland Road, Altamont.

For more information, visit https://tinyurl.com/yckvsbs7.

Marion County Fair

SALEM, Ill. — Marion County Fair, July 30-Aug. 6, 1800 Fairgrounds Road, Salem; www.marioncountyagfair.org; mcagfair@sbcglobal.net; 618-548-1251.

Pulaski County Fair

PULASKI, Ill. — Pulaski County Fair, July 31-Aug. 6, 497 W. Commercial St., Pulaski; www.pulaskicofair.net; pulaskicofair@yahoo.com; 618-976-7819.

Coles County Fair

CHARLESTON, Ill. — Coles County Fair, July 31-Aug. 7, 63 W. Madison Ave., Charleston; www.colescountyfair.com; fairboard@colescountyfair.com; 217-345-2656.

Logan County Fair

LINCOLN, Ill. — Logan County Fair, July 31-Aug. 7, 148 Short 11th St., Lincoln; www.logancountyfairil.com; fair@logancountyfair.comcastbiz.net; 217-732-3311.

Be Prepared When Disaster Strikes

The online program Be Prepared When Disaster Strikes: Emergency Kits and Communication Plans will be at noon Aug. 1.

Do you have an emergency kit ready to go? The Federal Emergency Management Agency recommends that individuals and families prepare to be on their own for at least 72 hours after a disaster occurs.

In this session, you will learn about the recommended items that should be included in every basic emergency kit and how to plan for the unique needs of your family. You also will learn how to develop a practical family communications plan that will allow you and your family to manage and maintain contact during a disaster scenario.

Additional sessions will be offered via Zoom Mondays at noon throughout the month of August. Register at https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/660734624.

Veterans Memorial Fair

PEKIN, Ill. — Veterans Memorial Fair, Aug. 1-3, Pekin; 309-348-2345.

Organic Field Day

WOLCOTTVILLE, Ind. — The Northeastern Indiana Organic Field Day will be Aug. 2 at the Wolcottville Organic Livestock Feed Cooperative, 109 Union St., Wolcottville.

Check-in begins at 8:30 a.m. followed by the program.

Program topics include:

9 a.m., Navigating the transition to organic production, Ashley Adair.

9:30 a.m., Budgets for organic production, Michael Langemeier.

10:30 a.m., Protecting organic acres using Driftwatch, Steve Engleking.

10:45 a.m., Update on OREI grant/future studies at NEPAC, Ashley Adair and Stephen Boyer.

11 a.m., Disease management of organic grains, Darcy Telenko.

11:30 a.m. What to expect from an organic inspection, Mark Seeley.

Lunch and tours of the W.O.L.F cooperative will be from noon to 1 p.m. Field tours of nearby organic farms will be from 1 to 3:30 p.m.

Cost is $20 and lunch is included. Register by July 26 by visiting https://tinyurl.com/2vpbp6az. For more information, call 260-499-6334.

Getting into the Farm Business

PRINCETON, Ind. — The series Getting into the Farm Business begins Aug. 2 at the Princeton Public Library, 124 S. Hart St., Princeton.

From business plans to thinking like a CFO, this series will give an overview of the kinds of financial information every farm needs to consider.

Sessions will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m. CT Aug. 2, Aug. 9, Aug. 16, and Aug. 23.

McHenry County Fair

WOODSTOCK, Ill. — McHenry County Fair, Aug. 2-7, 11900 Country Club Road, Woodstock; www.mchenrycountyfair.com; info@mchenrycountyfair.com, 815-338-5315.

Brown County Fair

STERLING, Ill. — Brown County Fair, Aug. 2-7, 39 Fairground St., Mt. Sterling; www.browncofair.com; 217-773-3939.

What’s Wrong with My Houseplant?

CARLINVILLE, Ill. — The program What’s Wrong with My Houseplant? will be from 1 to 2 p.m. Aug. 3 at the Macoupin County Extension office, 60 Carlinville Plaza, Carlinville.

Houseplants can make your home inviting to more than just house guests. Before buying, examine plants thoroughly for signs of insects and disease. Learn how to get off to the right start when growing on the inside.

Commodity Market Basics

LEWISTON, Ill. — Cathy Ekstrand a senior market adviser with Total Farm Marketing, will teach a two-part course on Commodity Marketing Basics from 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 3 and Aug. 10 at the Fulton County Extension office, 15411 N. IL 100 Highway, Lewistown.

Ekstrand is a statewide presenter for Annie’s Project in commodity market trading. This training has been inspired by Annie’s Project alumni who have expressed a desire to learn more.

Cost is $15, or $10 for Annie’s Project alumni. Register at https://tinyurl.com/583mvppm.

Kankakee County Fair

KANKAKEE, Ill. — Kankakee County Fair, Aug. 3-7, 213 W 4000 Road S, Kankakee; www.kankakeefair.org, tammy@kankakeefair.org, 815-932-6714.

McLean County Fair

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — McLean County Fair, Aug. 3-7 , 116 Interstate Drive, Bloomington; www.mcleancountyfair.org; info@mcleancountyfair.org; 309-663-6497.

Ogle County Fair

OREGON, Ill. — Ogle County Fair, Aug. 3-7, 1440 N. Limekiln Road, Oregon; www.oglecountyfair.com; 815-732-6962.

Illinois Crop Scouting Competition

SAVOY, Ill. — The Illinois Crop Scouting Competition will be from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Aug. 4 at the Crop Sciences Research & Education Center, 4202 S. First St., Savoy.

In a corn or soybean field, knowing how crops are progressing or being able to identify an insect can mean the difference between a profitable harvest and a bad year. The Illinois Crop Scouting Competition is a one-day contest that challenges teams of students from across the state to test their field scouting knowledge hands-on with agricultural professionals from University of Illinois.

Student teams grades 9 to 12 with an adult adviser will rotate through 10 outdoor stations at the University of Illinois South Farm fields to test their skills hands-on with topics such as identifying weeds, insects, and diseases, identifying the growth stages of corn and soybean plants, assessing abiotic injury, pesticide application, and integrated pest management.

Teams will be scored by judges with cash prizes for the top three scores: $500 for first, $300 for second, and $150 for third. The top two teams will also advance to compete against students in other states and represent Illinois at the Midwestern regional competition.

For more information, contact program coordinator Chelsea Harbach at harbach2@illinois.edu.

ServSafe Class and Exam

GREENCASTLE, Ind. — The ServSafe Food Manager one-day class and exam will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET Aug. 4 at the Putnam County Fairgrounds, 191 N. U.S. Hwy. 231, Greencastle.

Cost for training, manual and exam is $165. Register for this and other ServSafe training dates and locations at www.purdue.edu/servsafe/workshops.

Great Annuals for Your Garden

URBANA, Ill. — Champaign County master gardeners and University of Illinois Extension present the program Great Annuals for Your Garden — Master Gardener Tested from 9 to 9:30 a.m. Aug. 4 at the Idea Garden, 2001 S. Lincoln Ave., Urbana.

Master Gardener Ann Tice will host a discussion about some of the new “to be released” 2023 annual flowers that a team of Champaign County master gardeners are currently evaluating.

Each year, master gardeners plant a display garden at the Idea Garden where they trial or “test out” annuals. About 45-60 different varieties of plants go through a detailed evaluation process.

Plants are evaluated for percentage of bloom, percent of pests or diseases, and an overall evaluation.

Jo Daviess County Fair

WARREN, Ill. — Jo Daviess County Fair, Aug. 4-7 , 101 High St., Warren; www.jodaviesscountyfair.org; Jodaviesscountyfair@gmail.com; 815-745-2200.

Kendall County Fair

YORKVILLE, Ill. — Kendall County Fair, Aug. 4-7, 1826 Illinois Route 71, Yorkville; www.kendallcountyfair.org; office.kcf@gmail.com; 630-553-2860.

Bond County Fair

GREENVILLE, Ill. — Bond County Fair, Aug. 4-9, 1224 Midway Drive, Greenville; www.bondcofair.com; 618-664-1412.

Plant Identification Hike

ST. ANNE, Ill. — Join University of Illinois Extension Educator Erin Garrett for a plant identification hike at 2 p.m. Aug. 5 at the Aroma Land and Water Reserve, 1578 S. Hieland Road, St. Anne.

Walk through prairie, forest, and wetland ecosystems while discussing the plants seen along the way and how to identify them.

Lake County Fair

CROWN POINT, Ind. — Lake County Fair, Aug. 5-14, 889 S. Court St., Crown Point, Ind.; www.lake-county-fair.com; lcfsecretary@lake-county-fair.com; 219-663-3617.

Calendar: Kayak Botany Tour