Kellogg - WKTV Journal

By WKTV Staff

The W.K. Kellogg home and estate will feature tours and a concert on Aug. 28. (Supplied)

Enjoy a late summer afternoon of music surrounded by the rich history of W.K. Kellogg’s former home and estate. The W.K. Kellogg Manor House’s annual Tours and Lakeside Concert event returns after a two year hiatus from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 28. The Manor House is located at 3700 East Gull Lake Dr., in Hickory Corners.

The family-friendly concert and tours are free and no registration is required, but donations are appreciated.

Guests are invited to bring a picnic lunch, take self-guided tours of the grounds, and learn more about the Kellogg Biological Station’s research, education and outreach activities before and after the concert. Check in at the Manor House for a copy of the Historical Walking Tour map. Docents will be stationed along the self-guided tour route to share information about the estate and its historical buildings.

Guided tours of the Manor House interior will be available from noon to 3 p.m. In addition, the W.K. Kellogg Bird Sanctuary will offer free admission that day, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Cereal City Concert Band of Battle Creek will perform beginning at 3 p.m. under a canopy tent on the grounds of the Manor House. Guests are invited to bring lawn chairs or blankets. No outside alcohol is permitted, but beer and wine will be available for sale on site.

To learn more, visit conference.kbs.msu.edu.

W.K. Kellogg Biological Station hosts a plant identification program. (Supplied)

By Cara Barnes
W.K. Kellogg Biological Station

How often do you notice a plant in your backyard or along a road, trail or stream, and wonder what it is? Take the guesswork out of identifying plants by joining the W.K. Kellogg Bird Sanctuary and local experts for a six-week, online course beginning Wednesday, Aug. 5.

The Field Botany course will feature a series of six workshops, held on Zoom, from 6 to 7:15 p.m. on Wednesdays. Presenters are:

Dr. Tyler Bassett, Michigan Natural Features Inventory
Erik Elgin, Michigan State University Extension
Shawn Kelly, Natural Resources Conservation Service
Dr. Danielle Zoellner, Idle Awhile Farm and Forage

The course is open to plant enthusiasts of all levels. Sessions will examine a variety of topics, including:

Basic botanical terminology
Trees of Michigan’s forests
The history and distribution of Michigan’s native plant communities
Wetland plants of the Midwest
Prairies and savannas of Michigan
Aquatic plants

Registration

Register for the course at bit.ly/kbs-botany2020 by 11:59 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 1; space is limited. The cost is $55 for Sanctuary members and $65 for non-members. Participants are able to earn Master Gardener credits for attending.

Past course participants appreciated the format of having a unique topic for each class as well as “learning the special features of the plants and interesting backstories of how plants have been used in history.”

For more information about the Sanctuary, visit birdsanctuary.kbs.msu.edu. Direct questions to birdsanctuary@kbs.msu.edu or (269) 671-2510.