A customer eyes the strawberries for sale at the Murray Family Farms booth at last year’s Garden Fest at Bakersfield College. Photo courtesy of Sally Sterns

Plants will be for sale at the Bakersfield College Arboretum at the Garden Fest on April 24. Photo courtesy of Sally Sterns

One of many orchids on display at last year’s Garden Fest at Bakersfield College. Photo courtesy of Sally Sterns

By Sally Sterns

This Saturday, April 24, hundreds of visitors will descend on Bakersfield College for our annual Garden Fest. The open house at the Environmental Horticulture Arboretum includes gardening workshops, pet care, cooking, outdoor leisure, and arts and crafts booths.

Garden Fest is a one-day event designed to educate, help raise awareness and raise funds for many nonprofit organizations. It is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and admission is free. The arboretum is on the east side of campus, off Mount Vernon Drive just south of Panorama Drive.

This year Garden Fest will be highlighting Earth Day with our theme “Green and Clean.” The event will emphasize environmentally friendly gardening concepts and how easy going green can be. Attendees will learn how they can be Earth friendly and save money with landscaping and home improvement ideas.

New this year will be the “Mean and Green Car Show,” featuring local car clubs with beautifully detailed cars and manufacturers of environmentally friendly hybrid cars for a cleaner tomorrow.

The California Landscape Contractors Association Garden Stage will feature free seminars presented by industry professionals who inform and entertain attendees about gardening, floral design, and cooking.  Learn how to install a water feature in your yard from start to finish with the Build-A-Pond seminar presented by Buck’s Landscape Materials and Pond Shop.

Breakfast and lunch will be prepared by the outstanding BC Culinary Arts Department. The Renegade Ranch Farmer’s Market will feature products produced by BC agriculture students and fresh fruit and vegetables from Murray Family Farms.

To keep the younger crowd entertained, don’t miss Battlefield Live laser tag. And on our CLCA stage Roger Martin, “Lounge Guy” will be performing much loved American Classics.

Sally Sterns is an Environmental Horticulture Technician at Bakersfield College. She can be reached at 661-395-4446 or ssterns@bakersfieldcollege.edu. Learn more about Garden Fest here.