Rutgers Master Gardeners recently received Awards of Excellence at the Rutgers Master Gardeners Association of New Jersey Annual Fall Conference. Insect Festival and Plant Expo and Garden Market Committees were honored. Pictured left to right are Insect Festival Co-Chairs Nancy Putnum, Hopewell and Heidi Mass, Skillman and (3rd from left to far right) Plant Expo and Garden Market Co-Chairs Harri Lynn Nowrey and Carol Bencivengo, Hamilton and Ann Calder and Stephanie Foy, West Windsor.
The Plant Expo and Garden Market Committee and the Insect Festival Committee were this year’s recipients of Awards of Excellence at the recent Rutgers Master Gardeners Association of New Jersey Annual Fall Conference. This award recognizes the contributions and service of volunteer members who were certified under the Program and have provided professional service throughout their community.
The Plant Expo and Garden Market Committee, co-chaired by Carol Bencivengo, Ann Calder, Harri Lynn Nowrey and Stephanie Foy, is a group of Mercer Master Gardeners who convene each year to plan and carry out the organization’s major fundraiser. The major components of the Expo are home grown plants from Master Gardeners own gardens, tomatoes and veggies grown by a Master Gardener, and a second-hand sale of used garden items. Over half of the more than 200 active members participate in planning and executing the Plant Expo and Garden Market.
The Insect Festival Committee, chaired by Nancy Putnam and Heidi Mass, is the group of Master Gardener volunteers who plan, coordinate and carry out the Insect Festival held in September of each year at the Mercer Educational Gardens in Pennington. Nearly half of the organization’s volunteers participate in planning and staffing the featured displays of butterflies emerging, interactive games, a water bug exhibit, and puppet show. Over the years many agencies partner with the Rutgers Master Gardeners to help educate the public, including 4-H, USDA, county agencies and non-profit environmental education organizations.
The Rutgers Master Gardeners of Mercer County, a volunteer educational outreach program of Rutgers Cooperative Extension, is located at 930 Spruce Street, Lawrence. Master Gardeners participate in many volunteer programs throughout the county, as well as answer home horticulture questions through their Rutgers Master Gardener Helpline. For more information contact Rutgers Cooperative Extension at 989-6830 or visit the Rutgers Master Gardeners of Mercer County website at mgofmc.org.
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