Show-Me Gourd Art Festival, MDC’s native plant sales return to Springfield

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - Plant enthusiasts around the Ozarks had the chance to acquire new crops and enjoy two Springfield events Saturday.

The Show-Me Gourd Art Festival at the Ozarks Empire Fairgrounds returned after taking the past two years off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

If you wanted to learn more about gourds, this two-day event is for you. In addition to gourds, vendors are selling art supplies that can be used to create art with gourds as a canvas. Vendors are also offering classes with lessons on all the things that can be done with the fruit.

“What we try to do is get people interested in the arts,” said Madonna Waterman with the Show-Me Gourd Society of Missouri. “We’re showing the work we do on gourds. There are a tremendous amount of things that you can do on gourd, you can carve them and paint them.

Gourd experts say you can even make them into instruments or a container to hold food, but if you do that, make sure you line it correctly to prevent contamination.

Sunday is the last day to check out the Show-Me Gourd Festival. It runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and costs $5 to attend. For more information, CLICK HERE.

Also in Springfield, the Missouri Department of Conservation kicked off the first of eight opportunities to buy native plants this year.

Organizers of the native plant sales say the goal is to just get people outside and enjoy nature.

Native plants can be a serious help the local environment. For example, they provide food for our local pollinators and support our local wildlife.

One naturalist says having these native plants in our area is important because they are already used to the climate and soils, which in turn means you could be doing less gardening.

“We are really about helping people get outside and enjoy themselves, but also making sure that we protect our forests, fish and wildlife,” said naturalist Jordi Raos. “Adding native plants back to our landscapes, whether that’s in your yard, on your farm or into the wild really helps wild animals. So we want to make sure we help the public do that too

If you missed out Saturday, CLICK HERE for information on how you can purchase native plants in Springfield.

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