Virtual State Master Gardener Conference now open to the public

The highlight of the year for many Master Gardeners was attending the state MG conference, which was held in a different location in the state each year. It started back in 1994 and continued annually until Covid struck. Craighead County (Jonesboro) was slated to host the 2019 conference, but their new convention center had some delays, so they postponed until 2020. Then they had another year set-back due to Covid, so it was moved to June 2021. When registration time rolled around, there was still so much uncertainty about Covid, that the decision was made to hold the conference virtually. The 2021 Conference is going to be a virtual conference June 10 and 11.

The conference was always reserved for Master Gardeners only due to limited space, and the fact that it filled up each year. This year, space is not a factor, so for the first (and maybe only) time, they are opening the conference to ALL gardeners—not just Master Gardeners. The cost for the two-day conference is $50. They have an excellent line-up of speakers and garden tours. That is right, they have filmed their gardens and will be showing them to you during the conference. A link to the full agenda is here:

The link for registration is here.

I have heard some say they just can’t stand the idea of sitting looking at a screen all day for two days, but as luck would have it, once you are registered, you will have access to the taped copy of the event, so you can watch some live, and the rest later. Another brilliant idea is having a “watch party” with some of your fellow gardeners. If you have the capability, you can either send it to a big screen TV or project it on a screen. It would be the next best thing to attending in person—you could even do some themed foods, or have everyone potluck. The garden tour committee has gone all out to give you a great virtual tour. Here is a sneak peek.

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