By Marita Burke, Lake County Master Gardener volunteer
The 2025 OSU Lake County Master Gardener Volunteers recently held their annual awards and recognition banquet.
President Robin McNaught and OSU Educator Ann Chanon both began the Sept. 26 event with opening remarks and a slide presentation of the Master Gardeners’ year in review.
It was a very busy year.
Seven new members who have completed required classes including volunteer and continuing education hours were recognized. They each received their official name tag to a round of applause. Two new interns were also introduced and welcomed. In addition, there are 38 active and emeritus members.
The Lake County Master Gardener Volunteer of the Year was awarded to Susan Schein for her dedicated work as the chair of the Workshop Committee.
Kathy Terrell received the Enduring Commitment and Dedication Award for her continued work over many years in support of Master Gardeners’ goal of sharing research-based information with the public. She has been a frequent speaker at libraries and garden clubs for many years and is part of the Ohio Ask an Expert team. Her efforts have been instrumental in the success of the MGV Program Committee.
A special award of the Friend of MGVs for the Year went to Tim Brown, the director of detention, Lake County Juvenile Justice Center, for his help and assistance to the Master Gardener Volunteers in a very special gardening project with incarcerated teens, now in its 16th year. This is often a first-time and very exciting experience for the youth, who sometimes eat the produce right out of the garden because they can’t wait for it to be prepared. Brown has strongly supported MGVs in their work at JJC.
The MGV mission statement is “to promote and teach timely research-based gardening practices to the public and provide an environment for personal growth while assisting The Ohio State University Extension of Lake County.”
Besides conducting tours and classes for their own continuing education, there are 10 committees that make opportunities to share their diverse knowledge by presenting classes to garden clubs, senior groups, church groups, libraries and 4-H clubs. They also conduct planting demonstrations at special events and area sites. These committees often assist and support other Master Gardener committees and programs.
One such group developed by the Program Committee is called Meet Us in the Garden, given for the advancement of gardening knowledge to the public. Once a month from March through November a talk on varying topics is given at the Mentor Library Main Branch by Master Gardeners for the community.
Another group maintains a very large and diverse perennial and annual garden, called the Peace Garden, at the Lake County Fairgrounds. It is open during the growing season to anyone who wishes to enjoy it.
The Master Gardeners’ yearly Home Gardeners’ Workshop in March is a large event open to the public, with sessions given by several guest professionals on a variety of gardening-related topics. It is a fun, day-long event including breakfast, lunch and garden-related vendors.
Among the other committees, there is the Display committee which promotes awareness of OSU horticultural resources and other Master Gardener Volunteers programs through displays in Lake County libraries and public venues. These can be seen in the showcases inside the buildings and at the yearly Workshop.
The other committees are: the HELPLine, a phone-in, email or walk-in outlet for questions and answers; Recruiting; Social; Book Study and Publicity. All the committees work together to promote enriching gardening knowledge and resources for the public and themselves.
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