PALM COAST, Fla. – Shoppers headed in early to the Flagler Palm Coast High School campus on Saturday for a chance at the best selection of plants and home-crafted goods.
Enhancing the garden and home, the focus of The Garden Club at Palm Coast’s 10th Annual Spring Festival and Plant Sale, was all about three things according to festival chair Denise Garcia.
Personally greeting both vendors and attendees throughout the day, Garcia helped answer questions and keep the vibe flowing.
“It’s just been amazing. I’ve been running it for the past eight years and having a ball doing it,” said Garcia. “I love the fact that so many people have come out today and are getting to know us.”
Serving as a fundraiser for students in Flagler County, the festival and sale have a dual purpose.
“My motto this year was ‘friendship, gardening, and community’. We are part of this community and we want to do things that are help the people that (are our neighbors), that we live with every day and of course, this particular event is our biggest one of the year for our scholarships,” she said.
In addition to the full selection of plants reproduced by the club’s Propagation Guild for sale, club members hosted booths showcasing activities including the Arranger’s Guild, where those interested could pick up tips on floral design.
Not Just Plants
No landscaping project is complete without décor, and the vendors offered up everything from hand-painted bags, paintings and custom crafts by ‘Laurie Jeanne’s’, to unique recycled designs by ‘Genesis Treasures’, and floral-based custom pieces created by ‘Art in Glass by Joey’.
Handmade quilts by the two Karens – Karen Pardiny and Karen Brady, were showstoppers in a showroom full of one-of-a-kind items.
“It’s what we do for a hobby. Some of them I started out when I had a stroke a few years ago. I was limited in what I could do, so I started quilting,” said Brady. “One thing led to another and it’s my hobby that I do all day.”
“I started making them for my children for Christmas and that’s when I met Karen, and then I started making them and now we sell them at craft shows,” said Pardiny. “They take about four weeks, some longer, depending on the difficulty.”
Both find value in taking part in the spring festival.
“We like to keep it local and show people in Palm Coast what we have,” said Pardiny.
Garden Club at Palm Coast volunteer Elayne Byrd helped check in the local vendors and exhibitors for the festival, supported by a number of service organizations such as the Boy Scouts.
“We are thrilled with the turnout with the vendors that we have and it’s a wonderful day,” said Byrd. “Number one, just like we like to promote Florida-friendly and native plants, we also want to have local artists, local vendors. We think it’s great for the community.”
Cameron Coates, a member of the local company ‘The To-Do Dudes’ said their team was happy to help support the event.
“It’s a really cool organization and we wanted to try to help out the community as much as we can this year,” he said.
