How to spend a hot summer Saturday: Morning events
August weekends can be a frenzy of divided activity: Dodging the heat, harvesting and preserving summer vegetables, planning for fall gardens, preparing for the start of the school year, all while trying to hold onto the last bits of real summer.
Here is a selection of under-the-radar activities this Saturday, Aug. 9, that will help keep the summer mood going:
— Bird walk, 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at Soil Born Farms in Rancho Cordova. $15. In this stroll around a pleasant (cool!) walk around American River Ranch, birdwatchers are likely to see a variety of resident and migratory birds. Naturalist Cliff Hawley will point out other critters and plant life along the way. Ideal for beginner to intermediate birdwatchers. The Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Shop in Loehmann’s Plaza co-sponsors the bird walks. Sign up here. Soil Born this Saturday also offers yoga in the morning and a class on insects for preschool-age kids.
— “Growing For and With Children,” 9 to 10 a.m. at Dunnell Nature Park, 3351 Hillridge Drive, Fairfield. This is a free workshop presented by the Solano County master gardeners. “Gardening with children is more than just planting seeds—it’s about nurturing curiosity, wonder, and a lifelong connection to the natural world, ” the master gardeners say. “Whether you’re growing kid-friendly crops like snap peas, strawberries, or sunflowers, or creating a space where little hands can dig, water, and explore, the garden becomes a living classroom.” No registration or RSVP required to attend. See more Solano master gardener events here.
— “What’s the Buzz About Pollinators?” 10:30 a.m. at the Loomis Library, Loomis. The Placer County master gardeners present a free workshop on attracting and protecting our winged visitors. Bring a ceramic pot saucer and make a puddling dish for your garden. This event takes place during the Second Saturday Open Loomis Garden Day, which runs from 10 a.m. to noon. Visit the master gardeners’ demonstration garden outside the library and get gardening questions answered. Information on Placer master gardener events here.
— “Gardening for Year-Round Meals — Summer Harvest,” 11 a.m. to noon, Grace Garden, 1620 Anderson Road, Davis. The Yolo County master gardeners present this free program, led by Ann Liu, who is team leader for Grace Garden volunteers and a master gardener since 2011. She will tell how to determine when your produce is ripe (which can be difficult with watermelons, for example) and will also discuss garden maintenance and planning for the fall garden. Grace Garden, located behind Davis’ United Methodist Church, is a volunteer-run, 5/8-acre garden that provides thousands of pounds of fresh produce to help feed the hungry every year. All upcoming Yolo master gardener events can be found here.
Plus there is this event we’ve already written about on the blog: the Rio Linda Zucchini Races at the Rio Linda Grange.
Stay cool this weekend, gardeners.
