With this year’s Mariposa County Fair theme being “Country Scenes and Children’s Dreams,” the Mariposa County Master Gardeners will be focusing on activities for children, among their usual educational outreach activities. 

(Pictured left): Drought-tolerant plants donated by Creekside Nursery at the 2016 Mariposa County Fair.

Each day of the 2017 Fair (September 1 - 4 at the Mariposa County Fairgrounds Horticultural Building), the Master Gardeners - in conjunction with 4-H - will host “Make Your Soil and Eat it Too!” from 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.  Kids will also be able to “See How Roots Grow!”  From 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m., activities will include “Leaf Rubbing” and “Good Bugs/Bad bugs,” followed by “Plant a Seed for Fall” from 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. There will also be an opportunity to “See Worms in Action!”  All these activities will be held outside the Horticultural Building, on the patio. 

The Horticultural Building, with floral and produce entries on display, will be transformed into “The Secret Garden.” There will be a mock-up garden gate to the Secret Garden with an imaginary keyhole, and kids will be given a card with a key shape on one side and the questions for the scavenger hunt on the other. This activity will be available every day during fair hours.

Educational outreach for the home gardening public will include information on composting, a demonstration of “Plants That Attract Pollinators,” and a video on Fire Recovery.

(Pictured above): The save-water wall, designed and executed by Ingrid Angelini at the 2016 Mariposa County Fair.

For those entering the floral and/or produce competition, the Master Gardeners will be on hand to receive entries from 1:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 31.  Floral entries will be accepted at the upper entrance and produce on the lower entrance.
(Pictured above): The front wall display, designed by chair Rusty Avery at the 2016 Mariposa County Fair.

The Mariposa County Master Gardeners look forward to seeing you at the Fair! Further information can be acquired via email (mgmariposa@ucdavis.edu) or phone (209-966-7078).