Come to MERA’s Garden Day May 23rd at MERA Schoolhouse from 10 am to 3:30 pm.

This year we have a special treat for you — a one-woman show The Gardener and the Golfer by Dale Hamilton.

Start the morning at 10 am with a great cup of coffee at MERA Café and then get organized for the plant sale and exchange beginning at 11 am.

You can enjoy a $10 lunch including coffee, tea or drink and dessert from 11:30 am to 1 pm.

The afternoon features presentations and talks from several seasoned gardeners geared to all levels of gardening. Speakers start at noon, followed by a panel discussion—share your gardening stories. Learn and share the many tricks and tips to help your garden thrive.

Here’s the afternoon schedule:

• 12:00 Mushroom cultivation on logs: Karen Akua Hinds – a member of the Ecological Farmers Assoc of Ontario (EFAO) and local resident of McDonald’s Corners
• 12:30 Promoting ecological restoration through native plant gardening: Shelley Ball, Biosphere Native Plants

• 1:00 Muck (the typical soil in our area) soil management: Bob Whitmore, Whitsend Market Garden

• 1:30 Notes on Ray Griggs’ EcoTrilogy—Ecologos, Ecocide and Ecopathy: Timothy Booth, Woodworker, musician and gardener

The Gardener and the Golfer

At 2:30 enjoy The Gardener and the Golfer, a one-woman show by Dale Hamilton. The running time is 45 minutes with discussion afterwards.
Admission is by donation, before or after the show.

Here’s a synopsis:

In this sharp, funny, and heartfelt one-woman show, next-door neighbours Mary and Bill couldn’t be more different. She’s a regenerative farmer with dirt under her nails; he’s a hedge fund manager who’d rather be on the golf course than in a debate over land use. As tensions rise, their neighbourly friction turns into a full-on feud over land use and climate change. Will they find common ground, or remain stuck on opposite sides of the fence?

About Dale Colleen Hamilton

Dale comes from a farm family in southern Ontario where she lives on her 16 acre farm near Guelph. She has been writing, producing and directing community-engaged plays for almost forty years and has a Masters in Environmental Studies. She recently completed a successful national tour (including a performance at the Canadian Senate. For over 40 years, Dale has been writing and producing community-engaged theatre—sparking movements, inspiring change, and connecting people to their communities.