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Gardeners jonesing for a harbinger of spring can stop by the free Washburn Garden Expo from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday in the Lincoln Middle School gym at 510 S. Ninth St.

The 10th annual expo will feature nearly 25 exhibitors offering tips and educational information on gardening, as well as lawns, landscaping and trees and bushes, said Randy Magno, chairman of the marketing development and fundraising committee for the Washington Neighborhood Association.

“It’s definitely a kickoff to spring,” Magno said.

Featured speaker will be Stanley A. Temple, a senior fellow for the Aldo Leopold Foundation in Baraboo, Wis., addressing the noted conservationist’s view of plants and climate change. Temple will speak from 2 to 3 p.m.

The rain barrel painting contest and silent auction for the barrels are popular attractions for the expo, which draws as many as 400 people, he said.

Nearly 20 barrels are entered in the contest, with artists including Lincoln Middle students, as well as entries from De Soto High School, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the 7 Rivers Region and Riverfont in La Crosse, Magno said.

The auction can be spirited, with a bid last year topping $200 for the first time, he said.