Support pollinators and citizen science by participating in the Great Southeast
Pollinator Census. Join us for a great opportunity to learn about the plants and the insects that share your local ecosystem in the beautiful pollinator garden at Woodson
Branch Nature School. You don’t have to be an expert to participate. Anyone can join! We will host two fifteen minute sessions to observe with time after each session to enter your data online. You may join one or both sessions. A County Extension Agent and Agricultural educator will be on site to assist you.

Light snacks and drinks will be provided.

The program is free! Call Madison County Cooperative Extension office to register 828-649-2411

Dana Stauffer is the Small Farms and alternative agriculture agent for Madison County Cooperative Extension. She is excited to share her love for gardening and pollinators in this citizen science event.

Jewelry Making: In this workshop, students will be taught how to make a wire wrapped pendant from start to finish. They will learn about various types of wire and well as the tools used to set a stone, so it can be worn!

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My name is Danny Wilcox and I am an artist here in Madison County. I started wirewrapping in 2009 and it continues to be an avenue I seek for creativity. Since then I have gone deeper into jewelery making, expanding my creative endeavors to include silver and gold smithing. I have taught a number of wirewrap workshops and classes over the years, including 3 years at Tryon Arts and Crafts school. My inspiration comes from the creativity I see in nature. I often build around the beauty of the stones themselves to create pieces of wearable art. I am excited for the opportunity to spread the knowledge of this craft to my local community!

A Community Festival With Purpose

Step into the heart of the mountains for a day filled with music, food, and family fun — all while supporting the next generation. Proceeds from this festival go directly to Woodson Branch Nature School’s scholarship fund, making nature-based education accessible for local families.

Festival Highlights

>> Hands-On Fun for All Ages

• Kids Market & Vendor Booths

• Sling Shot & Hatchet Stations

• Natural Dyeing Station

• Donut Eating Contest

• Cake Walks & Cornbread Competition

>> Traditions & Tastes

• Wood Chopping & Ax Throwing Contests

• Outdoor Kitchen with Chili, Cornbread & Pizza

• Sweet Potato Soup Sampling

• Coffee & Cocoa Station

• Fresh Produce for Sale

>> Live Entertainment

• Local Music Performances

• Traditional Cranky Show

• Silent & Live Auctions

Be Part of the Fun — and the Impact

Tickets go on sale September 1st

Want early access? Become an Event Sponsor and help us launch the “Resilience Rising: Fun-Raiser” for Woodson Branch Nature School. Sponsorships secure your tickets and make a bigger impact on local kids.

Plant family patterns can greatly aid in demystifying the “green wall” of species around us. The scientific community has identified close to 400,000 plant species in the world. These species have been grouped into over 400 plant families. Around 200 flowering plant families grow in the places where it annually frosts and or freezes. You will know something significant about the majority of plants that you see in such locales if you learn the top 30 families around you. It is often possible to guess whether a plant is edible, medicinal, or poisonous simply by the family it occupies. However, some exceptions are important to know as well. We will engage in a walk and talk around the Woodson Branch grounds where we will delve into some of the major plant families of the Southern USA. Students will hone identification skills by observing family patterns such as leaf, flower and fruit types. Uses including edibility, medicinality, craft, wildlife promotion and landscape beauty will be discussed. Participants will gain a basic understanding of the major plants in the Southern US and their potential ecological and ethnobotanical applications.

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Ethnobiologist Marc Williams has taught hundreds of classes to thousands of people about plants, humans, other life forms and their interfaces. His training includes a B.A. in Environmental Studies/Sustainable Agriculture from Warren Wilson College with a minor in Business and a M.A. in Appalachian Studies/Sustainable Development from Appalachian State University with a minor in Planning/Geography. He has over 25 years of experiences working at various restaurants, farms, and travels throughout 30 countries in Central/North/South America, Europe and all 50 states in the USA. More information can be found at www.botanyeveryday.com and www.plantsandhealers.org.