Holiday Edition of Farmers Market Celebration Saturday On Saturday, 9 December 2017, the McCracken County Extension Master Gardeners (MCEMG) and the County Agent for Horticulture participated in the Holiday Farmers Market as part of the Celebration Saturday Series developed by Paducah Parks. Event was held at the Paducah Middle School. MCEMG were given a spot to create a booth in the entrance hallway.

 As an educational activity that was horticulture-related, 5 members of the MCEMG took turns in demonstration of how to make a corsage using fresh carnations in holiday colors, along with fresh greenery. Ribbons were added and corsage pins were handed out with these corsages.  Boutonnieres were available, too.  The members of MCEMG handed out 92 corsages to the delighted shoppers at Farmers Market. Also, U.K. publications on lawn care were handed out. Plant questions were answered.

Additionally, the MCEMG members surveyed participants and shoppers to Farmers Market about the free class offered monthly known as “Toolbox.”  (Toolbox is a free, educational class related to gardening that is one-hour long and held the first Tuesday of each month at the McCracken County Extension Office.) Earlier in the month MCEMG members formed a committee to review the topics offered for the last 5 years. From this list the committee saw that topics fell into areas of horticulture.  These topics were used to ask preferences for future Toolbox Series.  

At the Holiday Farmers Market, 120 people were surveyed and also asked about signing up for Class of 2018 Master Gardener Training. Farmers’ Market SNAP incentives were also handed out. A total of 7 MCEMG worked that day. It was an all-day event attended by approximately 300 people, of whom dozens displayed their corsages on their lapels. Approximately 35 children carried their corsages. The day was a partnership with MCEMG, Paducah Parks and Paducah City Schools. The day proved to be a pleasant way to showcase the MCEMG and the outreach of McCracken County Horticulture program.