Author and perennials expert Stephanie Cohen will headline Design & Beyond 2013, a symposium presented by the Summit County Master Gardeners.
The symposium will be 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Jan. 19 at St. Sebastian Church’s Zwisler Hall, 348 Elmdale Ave. Check-in starts at 8 a.m.
Cohen, known for both her wit and her plant knowledge, will present two talks, Natives With Bling and Shrubaganza. She is the founder of the Landscape Arboretum at Temple University, a contributing editor for Fine Gardening magazine and author of the books The Perennial Gardener’s Design Primer, Fallscaping and The Non-Stop Garden.
Other speakers at the symposium will be conservationist Judy Semroc of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and urban homesteader Lorree Cummings of Stone Cottage Farm & Garden in Cuyahoga Falls.
Cost is $45 and includes a continental breakfast, lunch and materials. Registrations will be accepted until Jan. 12 as space allows.
A mail-in registration form is at www.summitmastergardeners.org.
For information, call Sherry Beam, 330-342-0969.
Making maple syrup
You can learn about producing maple syrup at the Ohio State University Extension’s Maple Days event from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Jan. 25 at Mennonite Christian Assembly Church, 10664 Fryburg Road, near Fredericksburg in Wayne County.
The event includes educational programs, a trade show, reports and testing of hydrometers and Vermont Temporary Maple Syrup Grading Kits.
Cost in advance is $30, including lunch. Advance registrations are due Jan. 18.
To register, send your name, contact information and a check or money order (payable to OSU Extension) to OSU Extension, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster, OH 44691.
Participants can also pay $35 at the door, but they won’t receive lunch.
For information, call 330-674-3015 or email graham.124@osu.edu.
Maple Days events will also be held Jan. 24 in Morrow County and Jan. 26 in Geauga County.
Honors for builders
The Home Builders Association Serving Summit and Portage Counties has received the first Frank Horn Service Above Self Award from the Akron Rotary Club.
The award was presented at the annual HBA installation banquet in December.
The organization was honored for contributing time and labor to build two cabins at the Akron Rotary Camp for Children with Special Needs.
The award honors Horn, a Rotarian and volunteer with several organizations who died unexpectedly in 2011.
Events, programs
• Knitting and Crocheting Circle, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. today and Jan. 12, Highland Library, 4160 Ridge Road, Granger Township, Medina County. Call 330-278-4271 or 330-239-2674 for supply list.
• Knitting and Crocheting Circle, 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday, Brunswick Library, 3649 Center Road. www.mcdl.info or 330-273-4150.
• 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.
• Greater Akron Innovation Network for Sustainability meeting, 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Musica, 51 E. Market St., Akron (entrance off Maiden Lane). Meeting of group interested in promoting sustainability. Architect Hallie Myers Bowie will give a presentation on home energy efficiency, and Cynthia Trotta of GoodCents will speak about energy audits and the Dominion East Ohio rebate program. Free parking in the city deck at High and Main streets for the first hour and after 6 p.m. Information: www.facebook.com/GAIN4Sustainability.
• Yarncrafters meetings, 1-3 and 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Medina Library, 210 S. Broadway. Knitting and crocheting group. www.mcdl.info or 330-725-0588.
• Needlework Circle meeting, 6 p.m. Thursdays, Seville Library, North Center Street. 330-769-2852.
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.
