Calendars are filling up fast with grounds maintenance expos and other events in 2011. The National Lawn & Garden Show runs from June 14-16 at the Chicago O'Hare-Crowne Plaza Hotel and Conference Center.

The event matches buyers and vendors of lawn and garden products, including mowers and other grounds maintenance gear. More than 55 product categories are represented at the show.

The 2nd Annual U.S. Open at STA-BIL Nationals Weekend kicks off Sunday, Sept. 4 in Delaware, Ohio, at the Delaware County Fairgrounds.

The STA-BIL Racing Series features seven classes of mowers racing at speeds up to 50 mph with all cutting blades removed. The series is composed of 19 points-based races across the U.S. and is broadcast nationally on FoxSportsNet. Gold Eagle Co., a Chicago chemical manufacturer, started the series 18 years ago to promote STA-BIL Fuel Stabilizer, an additive that keeps gas fresh for quick starts in power grounds equipment like lawnmowers, leaf blowers and weed trimmers. This site and this site have photos from the 2010 series.

The Green Industry and Equipment Expo, GIE+EXPO 2011, will be held Oct. 27-29 at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Ky.

Two tradeshows — GIE+EXPO and Hardscape North America — will be co-located in one central location. The 18,000 participants can see and try a variety of grounds maintenance equipment. The event is a showcase for consumer, commercial, power and non-power products.

The expo is America's largest show for the outdoor power equipment industry, and will be featured in the October Government Product News and on Govpro.com.

Revisit Govpro.com's 2010 GIE+ Expo coverage.

2010 GIE+Expo products are featured midway down this page.

There are many grounds maintenance shows coming up in 2011. Some are mentioned on the Govpro.com calendar.

Related Stories

• In government, groundskeeping is a growth profession
• Storehouse of useful grounds maintenance information
• Grounds maintenance equipment getting cleaner, greener