Our 2015-2017 District V Director and I volunteered to man the Maryland Federated Garden Club booth at the Home and Garden Show for an hour on the first Sunday, meeting outgoing President Nicki Schwab there. This was the second year of our presence which is intended to market our organization to potential new members and to showcase the various activities we are involved in. There are both exhibits that pertain to the focus and accomplishments of the two year term at state, district and individual club level. Once again, the districts were given mannequin heads and asked to creative a floral headpiece.
(Click to enlarge smaller photos)
Here are three exhibits that show how strongly National Garden Club on down is coming out in support of conservation efforts.
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- Environmental Schoarships and Support for Conservation Activities
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- One of the children’s conservation books, national focus.
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- Saving the Monarch, also a national focus
There was an board to show the benefits of joining a club and sign up sheets to receive more information and to find a club in your area.
One each for Landscape Design and Youth Gardening:
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- A nice example of Landscape Design by A club
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- How different clubs are working with children
Our District V rallied to help stricken Ellicott City after the horrible flooding wrecked the historic downtown and washed away their Blue Star Marker.
In the center of the booth is a standing display that covers information about the historic and about individual club activities.
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- Rawlings Conservatory
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- Club activities
The biggest draw seems to be the mannequin heads. our nod to floral design, since they are positioned right next to the walkway. Many people stop and admire them and these often entice some of them to come into the booth. I do not recall which district was responsible for each, but I do know that Marilyn Potter of District V created the one with the vegetables.
There were two from the same district here:
Marilyn Potter’s work for District V (hard to keep veggies hydrated after several days !)
And here is the front and back of this lovely lady:
We did not have much time to walk due to other obligations but here a a few interesting booths we saw:
Butterfly House
These were hatching butterflies and people were trying to get them to step on padded sticks to observe closely.
Plants this way and that
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- Brisk sales at the plant place
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- Well done framed dried flowers
Information booth–what ails your plants? Also an interesting hummingbird feeder for mobs.
