upcoming event
February dinner meeting features "Planting for Pollinators 101" talk
DATE/TIME: Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, at 6:30 p.m.
LOCATION: United Methodist Church of Kent, 1435 E. Main St.
ON THE DINNER MENU Meat option: Stuffed cabbage rolls, mashed potatoes and dinner salad. Vegetarian option: Entre-sized salad with lettuce, eggs, chickpeas and vegetables. Both come with rolls and butter, dessert and beverages.
COST & RESERVATION The dinner is $16 per person, cash or check only at the door. RSVP BY email BackyardPest@gmail.com. Members, your club caller will be in touch to ask for your RSVP. Please respond promptly. Deadline to reserve is Thursday, Feb. 19.
Pollinator Partnership's Ohio Partner Biologist, Sophia Sorboro, will present "Planting for Pollinators 101" at The Garden Club of Kent's February monthly dinner meeting on Monday, Feb. 23 at 6:30 p.m. She will discuss pollinator habitat needs and habitat site preparation, planting and management. She will also update members on the ongoing pollinator habitat project on The Garden Club of Kent's property.
As a beginning farmer herself, Sophia understands the importance of balancing ecology with agriculture and has experienced first-hand how pollinator habitats can help to improve soil, water and wildlife conservation within working lands.
Sophia graduated from Kent State University with dual bachelor degrees in environmental and conservation biology and environmental studies. After graduating, she completed two conservation-focused years of service with AmeriCorps and then worked as a watershed coordinator for a Soil Water Conservation District. As Pollinator Partnership’s Ohio Partner Biologist, Sophia assists traditional, small, specialty, urban and other producers across eastern Ohio with establishing pollinator-friendly habitat.
upcoming event
President's Banquet set for March 21 at Hobbs Hall in kent
DATE/TIME: Saturday, March 21, 2026, at 12 noon; lunch buffet at 12:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Hobbs Hall, 217 N. Mantua St., Kent
ON THE DINNER MENU Parmesan Crusted Chicken, Three Cheese Macaroni, Green Beans Almondine, Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots, House Salad, Rolls & Butter, Cake, Water and Iced Tea. You are welcome to BYOB for alternative
drinkies, including wine, beer or any other favorite “celebratory” beverages.
COST & RESERVATION The luncheon is $30 per person, cash or check at the door. Your club caller will be in touch to ask for your RSVP. Please respond promptly. You can also RSVP online at https://tinyurl.com/56yvxs3b.
The equinox arrives at 10:46 am on March 20, and the next day — Saturday, March 21 — The Garden Club of Kent celebrates the arrival of spring at the President's Banquet. This year's theme is "Flowers Bring Harmony to Life."
Members will enjoy a delicious buffet lunch, and then President Melissa Davis and Vice President Rick Strebler will announce recipients of the Horticulture, Service and Lifetime Achievement Awards and Awards of Achievement. The winner of the 2025 Paul and Leah Hauser Beautification Award will also be announced. In addition, three members who passed away in 2025 will be memorialized: Doris Aeschliman, Hal Hall and Bruce Vasbinder.