Garden Festival guaranteed to grow
By Kyra Hoggan
With a turn-out of more than 500 people, the first annual Garden and Nature Festival is officially a success.
The event, held last Saturday at Millennium Park, featured roughly 50 booths showcasing everything from plants to water conservation to wildlife preservation.
Heather McSwan, chair of the festival committee, said including the nature element in the fair added depth and interest for attendees.
“I go to a lot of these sorts of things, and I think what set us apart was including the nature element, instead of just gardens,” she said, adding there were about 18 non-profit groups with booths as well, sharing their knowledge and expertise.
“It’s a great opportunity to give these organizations a little more visibility in the community.”
The festival also featured speakers downstairs in the library and, of course, vendors offering plants and produce.
“We were really pleased with the turn out and, of course, the weather was fabulous,” she said, adding that attendance was far better than expected. “The Lions Club was directing the parking, and they were kept pretty busy.”
She said it took tons of volunteer work, not to mention donations of venues like Millennium Park and the library, to make the event as successful as it was, and added that Castlegar Communities in Bloom and the Castlegar Garden club really went the extra mile to bring it all together.
“Everybody was really positive about how it went, and most were surprised it was so big and well-attended,” she said. “We can only look forward to bigger and better things next year.”
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