'Celebrate Herbs!' at Cornell Plantations July 10

Plant lovers of all ages are invited to celebrate all things "herb" as Cornell Plantations marks the 30th anniversary of its Robison York State Herb Garden. Celebrate Herbs!, a fun-filled event for the whole family, will be held Saturday, July 10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Plantations' Botanical Garden. This event, presented in association with Auraca Herbarists and Cornell Cooperative Extension, will take place rain or shine and is free and open to the public.

"We've put together a program that will appeal to people on many levels," said Kevin Moss, Plantations' community outreach coordinator. "We have wonderful guest speakers, great kids' activities and beautiful gardens. There really is something for everyone."

Throughout the day there will be six lectures highlighting the many roles that herbs play, from the making of medicinal teas to the importance of herbs in the monastery gardens of Europe. Celebrated herbalist JoAnn Gardner's presentation, at 12:30 p.m., will be based on her book Gardens of Use and Delight; she will sign copies afterward. Another well-known author, Elisabeth Sheldon, also will be signing copies of her award-winning book Time and the Gardener: Writing on a Lifelong Passion from 1 to 3 p.m.

Younger visitors will want to attend "Let it Grow! Stories about Plants, Trees and Gardens" with Kevin Moss at noon, and a writing workshop at 2 p.m. titled "Fairy Tales and Plants" led by Tompkins County poet laureate Katharyn Howd Machan. There also will be a children's craft tent, featuring such projects as greeting cards and bouquet making, and face painting, supervised by Plantations' own version of Hagrid and Professor Sprout, of Harry Potter fame.

Other attractions include guided tours of the gardens, a variety of vendors and demonstrations, food by Daño's On Cayuga Inc. and the unveiling of a special herb-flavored ice cream from the Cornell Dairy Store.

More information on activities at Cornell Plantations -- which celebrates its 60th anniversary with cake and ice cream on Sunday, Aug. 15 -- is available by calling 255-2400 or visiting the Web site http://www.plantations.cornell.edu/.