2024 Speakers & Celebrities

We will update this space with our 2025 guests throughout the year - keep an eye on this space!

In the meantime, please read more about our terrific 2024 speakers.

Dave & Jenny Marrs of HGTV's Fixer to Fabulous

Dave and Jenny Marrs are a husband-and-wife duo who turn fixer uppers to fabulous homes. They even have their own show called “Fixer to Fabulous” on HGTV. They focus on restoring historic homes in their neighborhood of Bentonville, Arkansas. Together, they have completed around 300 custom new homes and run Marrs Developing, a company that specializes in the renovation and restoration of historic homes in the Northwest Arkansas area. Dave does all the heavy lifting and Jenn does the design. They face many challenges, but there is nothing this duo can’t handle.

Jenny is the creative backbone of their renovations and specializes in designing spaces that are welcoming and inviting. She believes a home is a reflection of the family who lives there, and sometimes, the most beautiful spaces are imperfect and full of character. Dave is an expert craftsman, builder, general contractor and all-around handyman. His knowledge of restoring old homes is unrivaled and his passion for bringing out the charm of historic homes is contagious.

Jenny and Dave have 5 kids: twin boys (Nathan and Ben), two daughters (Sylvie, who was adopted from the Congo and Charlotte) and Luke, who’s growing up at the speed of light. Things have tended to come in twos for the Marrs family. First, it was twins, and then around the same time their 3^rd child was born, they adopted a 2.5 year old. It was a sigh of relief for them to have their last child to come into this world alone! They now live on a blueberry farm in Arkansas and donate the proceeds to non-profit work in Zimbabwe where they have an agricultural training program, training orphaned teens who need life skills because they haven’t been plugged into school.

BRYAN BAEUMLER of HGTV's Renovation Island

Bryan doesn’t believe he’s put in an honest day’s work unless he gets his hands dirty. A natural-born teacher, the award-winning host has been educating and entertaining viewers across The US and Canada since 2007 on the hit shows Renovation Island, Renovation Inc., Disaster DIY, Leave it to Bryan, House of Bryan as well as HGTV’s hit competition shows Battle on the Beach and Rock the Block. Bryan also has a new show set to premiere later in 2024. Bryan’s quick wit and easy-going personality have made him a huge hit with viewers on all of his home renovation shows. 

Learning valuable tricks of the trade from his father, a meticulous aircraft engineer, Bryan spent his childhood summers building his family’s cottage from the ground up.  After earning a dual degree in Political Science and Business, Bryan was headed towards a career of practicing law. Realizing he’d rather be renovating than being chained to a desk, his innate passion for building took over and he traded in his tie for a tool belt and founded Baeumler Quality Construction.       

Stephanie Hansen, TV Host & Author

Stephanie Hansen is a gardener and food enthusiast who hosts the “Taste Buds with Stephanie” television show and author of the “True North Cabin Cookbook.” Stephanie co-hosts the “The Weekly Dish” radio show and podcast with Minneapolis St Paul Magazine editor Stephanie March.  Stephanie also produces and hosts the "Makers of Minnesota” and “Dishing With Stephanies Dish” podcasts and is a weekly contributor on the "Jason Show” on Fox 9. You can find all of Stephanie’s recipes, podcasts, and picks in the Twin Cities at Stephaniesdish.com

Ryan McEnaney

Ryan McEnaney is a garden designer, author, and fifth-generation family member leading Marketing at Bailey Nurseries. He also serves as spokesperson for Bailey’s consumer brands: Endless Summer® Hydrangeas, First Editions® Shrubs & Trees, and Easy Elegance® Roses. Ryan is passionate about connecting people to nature and encouraging home gardeners to enjoy digging in the dirt. He works to educate homeowners on how to be successful in the garden and has been featured in publications such as Better Homes & Gardens, HGTV Magazine, Martha Stewart Living, Real Simple, and more. Ryan's approach revolves around making gardening fun, breaking down barriers, and creating a welcoming space to collaborate.

Nick "The Pond King" Needham, Pond King Water Gardens

Russ Henry, Minnehaha Falls Landscape & Giving Tree Gardens

Performing in our Food & Drink Pavilion

MATT YETTER

Matt Yetter is the real deal; an old-school, slide guitar-playing, harmonica-tooting country blues artist who characterizes music as "a way of making a connection to everybody all at once".

Regularly playing old-time, rootsy blues from the 1920s, 30s, and 40s all around Minneapolis, Matt created his own niche - a vibe that's hard to come across anywhere else. Matt has over 12 years experience as a solo artist and many years performing in ensembles on different fret instruments. He is based in South Minneapolis and performs at many different venues around the area. 

Sadie Maguire

 Cathie English

A folk singer/songwriter who dwells in Central Minnesota, where the winters are long, writing beautifully crafted songs accompanied with her distinctive fingerstyle technique. Woven through her music is a reverence for nature and the honest storytelling emblematic of the folk genre. She's performed at festivals and venues throughout Minnesota, sharing the stage with acts including Peter Mayer, Martin Zellar (of the Gear Daddies) and Jim Brandenburg, most recently doing a recording with Emmy winner Michael Monroe. Cathie has released two CDs, "Mary's Garden" and recently "Finding Solace".  

Green Thumb Theater Speakers