Author: Editor

Cider Social – Sunday November 2, 2025

Cider Social – Sunday November 2, 2025

Cider Press Available to Members at Ben Warlick’s House After years of excellent Cider Socials at Al Cosnow’s house, we have a new venue for 2025—Ben Warlick has offered to host the Cider Social this year at his garage. Thanks, Ben for stepping up! Event 

CBG Harvest Festival Volunteers

CBG Harvest Festival Volunteers

This is the largest event for generating revenue and attracting new members. We need a good number of volunteers to make this happen. What does volunteering entail? Setup Day Michael Zost volunteers to drive to several farms in Indiana to get all of the apples 

Members Gather at Summer Picnic

Members Gather at Summer Picnic

MidFex members come from Wisconsin around the Lake over to Michigan. This year club members gathered for our annual Summer Picnic just south of the Illinois-Wisconsin border at the Rudawski family farm near Harvard, Illinois. Turning off the gravel road and up the hill to 

2025 Harvest Festival – October 18-19

2025 Harvest Festival – October 18-19

Event Description: The Fall Harvest Festival at the Chicago Botanic Gardens is our largest public event, fund raiser, and membership drive all rolled into one.  It’s a fun exciting experience and a great opportunity to socialize and network with MidFExers while learning the virtues of 

Heirloom fest at the Chicago Botanic Garden 2025

Heirloom fest at the Chicago Botanic Garden 2025

MidFEx has been invited to participate in the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Heirloom Fest on August 23-24. This is the third year we have been asked to participate by the Garden, and is a great opportunity to recruit new members and show off our Club to 

Summer Picnic 2025 – Harvard IL, Sunday July 20

Summer Picnic 2025 – Harvard IL, Sunday July 20

Latest Details: The date is Sunday July 20, 2025. Setup is at 11am or earlier as needed and lunch starts at 12 noon. Check the Members Only page for event location. Event Description: The Summer Picnic is a time for MidFEx to get together for 

Orchard Walk – Saturday, August 2nd at 1pm

Orchard Walk – Saturday, August 2nd at 1pm

Tour an eco-friendly suburban garden in La Grange, hosted by Veronica T. The garden is only 3 years old, so you can see what the fruit looks like at a young age, giving you an idea of what to expect in the near-term. She’s growing 

MidFexers Grafting at Studio Gang

MidFexers Grafting at Studio Gang

On April 11, 2025 several club members went over to Studio Gang, the Chicago studio for Jeannie Gang’s architectural practice. The world famous architect just published a book titled: ‘The Art of Architectural Grafting’.  So she wanted to show her talented staff what real grafting 

Free Community Orchard Maintenance & Care Workshop, May 15

Free Community Orchard Maintenance & Care Workshop, May 15

The Northwest Indiana Tree Planting Consortium is hosting a free training workshop titled: Community Orchard Maintenance and Care. Hosted by Davey Resource Group, this training will cover topics such as planning and planting your orchard, ongoing maintenance, as well as pest and disease management. Register 

Grafting Workshop Highlights

Grafting Workshop Highlights

The 2025 grafting workshop on March 23 at Chicago Botanic Garden was well attended and received by the public and club members alike. Public attendance was good and the club had a good turnout of members to help with the event and many came to