Healthy Living Fair and Gorgeous Gardens to Visit this June

Summer is finally here and the sunshine is upon us. It’s a great time of year to get outdoors to enjoy the bounty and beauty of Oregon.

Mother Earth News Fair comes to Albany

There’ll be a whole lot of sustainable goodness packed into one weekend when the Mother Earth News Fair brings national experts on self-sufficiency to the Linn County Fair & Expo Center June 4-5, 2016, from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday.

Interested in organic gardening and farming? They’ve got workshops on everything from suburban farmsteads to backyard bees and chickens.

Love cooking? You can learn to make your own cheese, butter and jams.

Are craft beer and spirits your thing? Take a class on home brewing, distilling, and fermenting.

Got kids? Attend hands-on classes with experts who can show them how to grow garden, churn butter, make bath salts, and more.

Even more workshops include talks on the tiny house movement, making your own biodiesel, poultry-processing, herbal remedies, foraging, and more.

Great Gardens to Explore

Linn County Master Gardeners’ June Garden Tour

Saturday, June 18, 2016 is this year’s date for “Through the Garden Gate” – Linn County Master Gardeners’ Annual June Garden Tour, featuring six unique gardens showcasing local gardens at their best. Tour hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the suggested donation for tickets is $15.

This year’s array of gardens feature everything from outdoor wedding-worthy expanses, to small scale gardens packed with surprises, as well as edible and permaculture techniques sure to please every palate.

All the gardens will have Master Gardeners present, as well as garden owners, to answer your gardening questions. Bring a camera and notepad to document ideas you will want to take home for your own garden.Come with questions, get ideas, and enjoy the beauty of this year’s gardens.

Photo: A scene from the 2013 Garden Tour. Content help from Lynn Welp, a master gardener and former garden columnist for the Albany Democrat-Herald and Corvallis Gazette-Times.

2016 Brownsville Garden Tour

Explore the garden path less taken and celebrate Brownsville gardens and those who create them. The tour, on Saturday June 25th, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. includes five local gardens, a community garden, Kirk Walnut trees, a Moyer Wisteria tree and a Brownsville walking tour map.

$15 per person. Tickets on sale at the Brownsville Senior Center, 345 N. Main

Proceeds benefit the Brownsville Garden Club and the Calapooia Food Alliance.

Other events and happenings in June:
Lebanon Strawberry Festival
Located at Cheadle Lake in Lebanon, this event includes parades, fireworks, entertainment, food and the World’s Largest Strawberry Shortcake!

2nd Annual Lamb & Wool Fair Auction
Don’t miss this annual fundraising event that hopes to ensure the continuation of the Linn Co. Lamb & Wool Fair in Scio, Oregon. Dinner tickets can be purchased in advance at the Linn Co. Lamb & Wool Fair at www.lambfair.com. There will be a BBQ Dinner catered by GameTime Sports Bar & Grill beginning 5 p.m. and a silent auction.