Thursday, November 3, 2011

Chrysanthemum show returns to Stilesboro

Fall typically personifies a season of change where all matter of foliage prepares for the coming winter.
But for one last time, before the frost begins to settle, flowers are in bloom for the 99th annual Stilesboro Chrysanthemum Show.
This is the best time of year for the flower and members of the Stilesboro Improvement Club said they take advantage by putting them on display for the community to enjoy.
Several months of planning and dedication are invested by the club’s members to ensure that each show is unique and special.
From the pruning and watering to the design and set up, the chrysanthemum show is a labor of love for those who spend much of the year planning and preparing for it, said Stilesboro Improvement Club member Susiann Brock.
“Somehow it all comes together,” Brock said.



Brock said each year the group works to create a show that centers around a theme that best showcases the chrysanthemums.
All of the flowers in the show are grown by club members who take pride in their green thumb, Brock said.
“We get to work together with the satisfaction of seeing the room and how beautiful it looks,” Brock said.

From a “Gone with the Wind” theme to a show titled “At the Movies,” the Stilesboro Chrysanthemum Show, which is the oldest in Georgia, brings more than the garden variety flower show.
This year’s theme is Horse and Buggy Days and the room will include decorations from a one-room school house and a vintage buggy sans horse.
“That is the unique thing about us” said Stilesboro Improvement Club member Ann Mascia. “Decorating the whole building is really what sets us apart.



Brock, who has been gardening since she was 7 years old, said there is some competition to create the most dazzling display for the show.
The flowers are judged and Brock said bragging rights go to the winner.
The show is held every year at the Stilesboro Academy and in addition to the flowers on display, food will be available for purchase in the Tea Room.


Dishes include Brunswick stew, chicken salad, homemade cakes and beverages.
Admission to the event, which will be Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., is $2 per person.
“All the money we do raise goes toward the restoration of the building,” Mascia said.

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