Kansas Healthy Yards Expo
Make greener choices for your yard and home at the Johnson County Healthy Yards Expo — a FREE Earth-friendly lawn and garden event.
April 11th, 2026
Location: Shawnee Civic Centre 13817 Johnson Drive Shawnee, KS 66216
Discover simple, easy Earth-friendly practices for achieving a nice yard while still protecting our water, air, and healthy soils. The Healthy Yards Expo features businesses, non-profits, seminars, and tips to help residents become greener in their lawn and garden care. It’s a one-stop learning event on green ideas and services.
Be sure to:
- Register for door prizes!
- Free Tree Seedling: First 100 visitors get a free tree seedling, courtesy of the City of Overland Park.
- Visit with Johnson County K-State Research and Extension Master Gardeners, Extension Master Naturalists, nonprofit organziations, and local plant societies for expert advice.
- Talk with city representatives to find out what’s going on in your neighborhood and learn about cost share programs for establishing rain gardens and rain barrels
- Listen to informative speakers on topics such as native plants, pollinators, vegetable gardening and landscaping
- Choose from a wide selection of locally grown, organic native plants specially selected to thrive in your garden sold by City Roots.
- Johnson County Extension will sell DIY Radon Kits and experts will show you how to test your home here in Johnson County.
- Learn about green house cleaning and cooking with herbs from Extension Master Food Volunteers.
Kid Fun
Enjoy a free puppet show by StoneLion Puppet Theatre. Performances are at 10:30 AM and 12 PM.
Kiddos will also enjoy a traveling museum that brings soil to life, in the Soil Tunnel Trailer. It illustrates the natural history of soil with 3-D worms, roots, and other organisms and the underground interactions of our natural resources.
Concession Stand
Breakfast and lunch will be available for purchase during the Expo provided by a local Boy Scout Troop.
Johnson County Residents: Get a FREE soil test
Johnson County residents can get a free soil test, compliments of Johnson County Stormwater Management and Johnson County Extension. A soil test will provide you with the fertility needs to grow healthy plants while protecting our soil and water. Bring your soil sample to the Expo to receive the free testing. Learn how to take a soil test.
About the Expo
Johnson County K-State Research and Extension is teaming with Johnson County Stormwater Management and the cities of Lenexa, Overland Park, Shawnee and Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City to present the Expo, now in its 12th year. The event is free and open to the public.
Kansas Healthy Yards and Communities (KHYC), developed by K-State Research and Extension, helps homeowners make better choices on environmentally conscious lawn and garden care techniques.
Vendor applications for 2026 will become available in late fall of 2025.
To learn about being a vendor in 2026, contact Lesley Rigney, Johnson County Stormwater Management, at lesley.rigney@jocogov.org or 913-715-8316.
Help spread the word about this free community resource.
Cost: Free
Location:
Shawnee Civic Centre
13817 Johnson Drive Shawnee, KS 66216 Get Directions