Three Summit County master gardener volunteers received top honors at the group’s annual awards ceremony Feb. 26.
Honored were Pat Munka, Summit Volunteer of the Year; Peggy Cartwright, President’s Award; and Sarah Vradenburg, Carol Easter Lifelong Learner Award.
In addition, those three women were among 24 master gardeners honored for volunteering 100 or more hours in 2012. The others were Susan Arpad, Lora Avens, Jan Barber-Hemphill, Deidre Betancourt, Mindy Costigan-McCartney, Pam Derry, Karen Edgington, Geoff Kennedy, Patricia Korab, Cheryl Manson, Penny Marquette, Vincent Matlock, Sherilyn Medkeff, Patricia Miller, Lori Nelson, Jeanne Poremski, Helen Ryan-King, Mary Simonelli, Mary June Starts, Jacqueline Stringer and Cheryl Urban.
Edgington, Poremski and Vradenburg were recognized for amassing at least 100 continuing education hours.
Service pins were awarded to these volunteers:
• 15 years of service: Dayle Davis and Melinda Stewart.
• 10 years: Nancy Alvarez, Judy Joyce, Barb Kruger, Darlene Mann, Jean Maurer, Pat McRowe, Anita Meeker, Karen Petterson, Denise Reich and Terri Shroyer.
• Five years: Liz Bright, Bonnie Butson, Costigan-McCartney, Bob Eley, Nancy Germano, Andy Greene, Iris Harvie, Karen Martin, Matlock, Starts and Kristy Yates.
Company honored
Another local company, Studio 76 Kitchens & Baths, has been honored with a “Best of Houzz” award from the design website Houzz (www.houzz.com).
The Twinsburg company was honored for customer service satisfaction.
The company’s website is www.studio76kitchens.com.
To my readers
A friendly reminder to my readers: If you call or write to me with a question, please be sure to include a phone number, email address or some other way for me to reach you. Occasionally I’ll get a query I can’t respond to because the person didn’t include contact information.
Please don’t assume I’ll answer your question in the paper. I get more questions than I can answer in print, and I generally avoid repeating topics.
Events, programs
• Longaberger Collectors Club event, 10 a.m. to noon today, Longaberger at Home showroom, Aurora Farms Premium Outlets, 549 S. Chillicothe Road. Talks by Longaberger Creative Director Michael Kennedy and Senior Product Designer David Neer; basket signing for club members by Gary Longaberger. Free.
• Brunswick Kiwanis Spring Craft Fair, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today, Brunswick Recreation Center, 3637 Center Road. http://northcoastpromo.com.
• Medina County Home and Garden Show, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Medina County Community Center, 735 Lafayette Road, Medina. Exhibits, gardens, craft beer tasting, demonstrations. $5; seniors, $4; children 12 and younger, free. www.medinahomeandgardenshow.com.
• Cleveland Botanical Garden events, 11030 East Blvd. Orchid Mania, ends Sunday. Ask the Orchid Doctor, 1-3 p.m. today. Garden admission: $9.50; children ages 3-12, $4; members and younger children, free. 216-721-1600 or www.cbgarden.org.
• Cuyahoga Falls Community Gardens signup, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Cuyahoga Falls Library, 2015 Third St. New gardeners can reserve and pay for one or more plots. $18 for a 25-by-25-foot plot, including water. Informational meeting and demonstration program, How to Turn Dirt Into Soil to Grow Fruits & Vegetables, 7-9 p.m.
• Gardening for Bees: Simple Changes Gardeners Can Make to Help Our Pollinators, 7 p.m. Monday, Hudson Library & Historical Society, 96 Library St. Speaker: Denise Ellsworth, Ohio State University honeybee and native pollinator educator. Free. 330-653-6658 or askus@hudson.lib.oh.us.
• Warm Up Akron meetings, 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Mogadore Branch Library, 144 S. Cleveland Ave. Members knit and crochet rectangles that are used to make afghans for needy people in the Akron area, and they’ll teach others the skills. 330-699-3252 or http://warmupakron.webs.com.
• Spring Pond Opening, 5 p.m. Wednesday, Water X Scapes (formerly Hoffman’s Garden Center), 1021 E. Caston Road, Green. Free, but reservations are requested at 330-896-9811.
• Needlework Circle meeting, 6 p.m. Thursdays, Seville Library, North Center Street. 330-769-2852.
• The Power of Pollinators Short Course, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster Township. Workshop on the biology, identification and conservation of native bees. $20, including lunch. Registration: http://go.osu.edu/R8k, 330-263-3723 or ellsworth.2@osu.edu.
• Oh Deer!, 11 a.m. March 16, Donzell’s Flower & Garden Center, 937 E. Waterloo Road, Akron. Speaker: Carol Zeh, caretaker to Dillie, a domesticated deer. Free. Registration: 330-724-0550, ext. 110.
• Dormant Pruning Workshop, 8 a.m. to noon March 20, Seaman Orientation Plaza, Secrest Arboretum, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster Township. Instruction and practice on pruning young trees and shrubs. $50. Class size is limited. Mail-in registration form at http://go.osu.edu/R6w, or email cochran.7@osu.edu.
• Gardening in the Community, 9 a.m. to noon March 23, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1250 W. Exchange St., Akron. Information for community gardeners and garden enthusiasts. Presented by the Summit County Master Gardeners. $10. Registration deadline March 16. Information: Sarah Vradenburg, 330-612-0234, or http://summitmastergardeners.org.
Submit notices of classes, programs and events two weeks in advance to mbrecken@thebeaconjournal.com or Home and Garden News, Features Department, Akron Beacon Journal, P.O. Box 640, Akron, OH 44309-0640. Please include name and phone number. All events must be open to the public.
Mary Beth Breckenridge can be reached at 330-996-3756 or mbrecken@thebeaconjournal.com. You can also become a fan on Facebook at http://tinyurl.com/mbbreck, follow her on Twitter @MBBreckenridge and read her blog at www.ohio.com/blogs/mary-beth.