Michigan State University Museum research associate Steve Stier will lead the Dessert with Discussion fall 2009 series with an informational talk on traditional barns of Michigan, including their construction, use and restoration.

The talk will take place at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 22, in the auditorium of MSU Kellogg Biological Station’s Academic Center, located at 3700 East Gull Lake Drive near Hickory Corners. Coffee, tea and desserts will accompany the presentation. There is no admission charge, and the public is welcome to attend the event.

Traditional barns are scattered all over Michigan’s landscape, some dating back to the pre-Civil war era. Stier has made a career of assessing historic structures and is a founding member of the Michigan Barn Preservation Network, which works to rehabilitate barns for commercial, residential and public uses. He’s a licensed builder specializing in historic preservation and traditional construction methods and taught at Tillers International in Kalamazoo for 12 years, focusing on timber frame construction.

October’s Dessert with Discussion will take place Oct. 20 and the topic will cover Lyme disease in Michigan.  Jean Tsao, associate professor, with the MSU Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences and Department of Fisheries and Wildlife will present the lecture. For more information, contact the KBS Community Relations Office at (269) 671-2263 or e-mail events@kbs.msu.edu.

Additional KBS events can be found on the web at www.kbs.msu.edu.

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