Blooms abound at Spring Market
BUTLER TWP — After a seemingly endless winter of cold and snowy days, Butler County residents are more than ready for forsythia, dogwood blossoms and tulips.
Celebrate spring and kick-off the long-anticipated 2018 gardening season Saturday when Penn State Master Gardeners and Butler County Parks and Recreation team up to host the 16th annual Spring Garden Market and Home Show.
The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Alameda Park.
This marks the fifth year that the Master Gardeners and Butler County Parks and Recreation Department have partnered to bring an event that welcomes spring.
Alameda Park will be transformed into a marketplace of vendors with plants, crafts and home improvement ideas. Festivities will include music, food treats, children's activities and even a little taekwondo.
Plant sellers will offer perennial and annual flowers, vegetables, herbs, roses, shrubs — even small trees — whatever your gardening heart desires. At craft booths, visitors will find one-of-a-kind decorative and useful items for their home and garden.
Food vendors will have culinary treats ranging from light snacks and sweets to entire meals.
Admission, parking and shuttle service to and from surrounding parking lots are free.
The Master Gardeners' plant sale will be in and around Holly Shelter. For the second year, they have partnered with Ken and Kathy Metrick of Harvest View Farm and Market to bring a unique selection of flowering perennials. Available will be plants for every growing condition, unusual specimens and a choice of tried and true favorites. New this year, the plant sale will feature a selection of garden vegetables that includes brussels sprouts and broccoli.
At the Garden Hotline table, Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer questions about gardening problems. Master Gardeners and park staff, wearing bright orange T-shirts, will be available to assist visitors.
Butler County 4-H'ers, in bright green vests, will serve as valets to help visitors get their purchases to the car. There will be a place to keep selections safe as visitors shop vendors throughout the park.
Parks and Recreation is sponsoring a basket raffle featuring a variety of vendor-donated items. Tickets are available at Pavilion No. 2.
DJ Sammy will play music.
There will be activities for children of all ages around the Children's Pavilion. Home Depot will have projects the children can build and take home. Party Pony plans a petting zoo with a pony ride, and cute critters, such as goats and rabbits. There will be face painters on hand and the Blind Association is offering information and children's activities.The Kids' Weekend Backpack Program, sponsored by the Golden Tornado Scholastic Foundation, is offering spring crafts that will provide fun and a souvenir for children. The program will be accepting donations to help students who may be going home on weekends with few food supplies. Donations are being accepted of the following items: canned soups, Chef Boyardee items, microwaveable pasta and rice meals, cans or pouches of tuna or chicken, Hormel Compleats meals, single-serve applesauce and fruit cups, and ramen noodle packages or cups.At 2:15 p.m., Master Connell's Taekwondo Demo Team will provide a half-hour demonstration of Korean martial arts techniques, weapons and board breaks, and a brief comedy routine. Team members range in age from 12 to 25.All children's activities are free.Penn State Extension Master Gardeners of Butler County are volunteers in the Penn State Master Gardener program. Their mission is to support Penn State Cooperative Extension by utilizing research-based information to educate the public on best practices in consumer horticulture and environmental stewardship.For more information, visit their website at http://extension.psu.edu/plants/master-gardener/counties/butler or call 724-287-4761.Susan Struthers has been a Penn State Extension Master Gardener of Butler County since 2004.
