Mother Earth News Fair coming to Lawrence

Since 2010, the Topeka-based magazine Mother Earth News has been holding annual fairs on farming and sustainability in the eastern and western United States. And now, the event is finally coming to the Midwest — to Lawrence.

The Mother Earth News Fair will set up shop at Lawrence’s Watson Park Saturday and Sunday and will bring with it six keynote speakers and more than 150 workshops and demonstrations conducted by local and national experts.

The fair is open from 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Sunday, with workshops beginning at 10 a.m. both days, according to James Duft, programming and operations manager for the fair.

Pre-ordered one-day tickets are $18, with the price at the gate at $25. Weekend passes are $25 pre-ordered and $35 at the gate. The main entrance will be located at 7th and Kentucky streets.

A bus service, running every half hour, will be available for those who park at the Holiday Inn at 200 McDonald Drive, beginning at 8 a.m. both days.

Workshops and speeches will cover an array of topics, including organic gardening, raising livestock, home energy audits, home building and making body care products.

The keynote speaker roster features actor Ed Begley, Jr., organic farmer Joel Salatin, Slow Money founder Woody Tasch, animal welfare expert Temple Grandin, organic gardening expert Eliot Coleman and Mother Earth News Publisher Bryan Welch.