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09/26/2018 08:30 AMThere’s no simple way to describe the divisions, displays, education, delights, and surprises being readied for an exclusive tour of gardens, flower displays, and more for the The Sound and The Flora of Stony Creek—but if anyone had to attempt, Branford Garden Club (BGC)’s Doreen Larson Oboyski is the best person for the job.
“It’s complicated and there are rules that we have to follow,” says Doreen, who is co-chairing the event with Eunice Lasala. “But being co-chair of the flower show is such a treat, because I get to see all these talented people that know way more than I do...pull this together. It’s really incredible.”
On Saturday, Oct. 6 and Sunday, Oct. 7, BGC presents The Sound and the Flora, a National Garden Clubs, Inc. standard flower show.
The event has been in the planning for about a year and half, with a committee of about 30, including many doing double duty to ensure the show follows exacting specifications that make it a National Garden Clubs standard flower show.
From the show’s creative theme staging led by BGC President Paula Inglese, down to touches as simple as topping the ticket book with a botanical rendering of Rubus parviflorus (otherwise known as the thimbleberry, the inspiration for Stony Creek’s Thimble Islands name), this show also showcases the creativity of BGC’s members.
Now in its 87th year of operation, the all-volunteer BGC is known for its work to beautify the town and educate citizens with community-spirited programs and fundraisers, with events ranging from elegant to whimsical.
As a BGC member of five years and chairman of BGC’s Conservation Committee, Doreen couldn’t be more thrilled to invite all to enjoy The Sound and The Flora.
“This is going to be a wonderful show, put on by a wonderful group of people. We’ve been able to include some unique properties because of people we’ve contacted who have been kind enough to open their homes, as well as all of the wonderful organizations who have opened their buildings to us,” says Doreen.
BGC is also grateful to the village of Stony Creek and Stony Creek Association for welcoming the show.
“I think the people in Stony Creek are very excited about the show,” says Doreen. “They’re opening their community up to us so we can do this.”
On Oct. 6 from 1 to 5 p.m. and Oct. 7 from noon to 4 p.m., the ticketed show ($15 per person, children under 12 free) starts out at Taken for Granite (409 Leetes Island Road, where tickets are on sale now and day-of) and loops out to the furthest private homes off Thimble Island Road.
Advance tickets can also be purchased at www.branfordgardenclub.org or day-of on the event’s “hop on/off” buses. The two buses, on loan from Orchard House Adult Medical Day Center, will continuously travel to the show’s private homes and historically interesting public venues. The show also offers several parking locations in Stony Creek, marked by show signs.
Sites where floral designs will be on display include a “Victorian Splendor” home, The Brainerd Hotel, Branford Land Trust, Legacy (Puppet House) Theatre, Stony Creek Museum, Anthony “Unk” DaRos’s replica Stony Creek Depot, and Stony Creek Fife & Drum Corp’s Seaside Hall. Rooms in each location, staffed by BGC volunteers, will be awash in decorative displays hitting on different design themes and classes. A “Vintage Cottage” in the village will house the show’s botanical arts division/classes.
Like the name of the show (thought up by BGC past president Michalah Bracken), “the names of the division designs are really, really interesting. We have a such a good group of people that have such great imaginations to come up with them,” says Doreen. “Even the division of horticulture has such creative names.”
The show’s Design and Botanical Arts divisions involve entries from Federated Garden Club (FGC) of Connecticut members from many towns.
“It gives people an opportunity to use their creativity within the parameters of what the rules are,” says Doreen. “You’ve got to come up with something that appeals to you and hopefully appeals to the judges.”
The judges, all members of FGC of CT, will be based at Willoughby Wallace Memorial Library.
Other awards will be given out among over 120 classes of horticulture entries on display and up for judging in the Church of Christ Fellowship Hall. Entry in the horticultural division is open to the public.
“It’s a huge part of it. People can take samples of their plants from their yard, or [their] fruits and vegetables, or even houseplants, and bring them in, and they get judged,” explains Doreen.
Advance online entry, required, is available at www.branfordgardenclub.org
“We’ve made it really user-friendly,” hints Doreen.
While winning a ribbon or even Best in Show is quite an honor, Doreen says perhaps the biggest takeaway for entrants is what they will learn. Judges often write up hints to help entrants improve, she notes.
“I always say to people it’s really wonderful to win a blue ribbon or to be Best in Show, but just the experience of doing the design and seeing the judges’ comments makes you get better at what you do,” says Doreen.
Another component of the show, the Education Division, is set mainly at Seaside Hall under the theme “A Creeker’s Lore.” The educational aspect includes displays, descriptions, and demonstrations geared to give guests some flora and fauna enlightenment. Seaside Hall will host a pollinator talk from a local organic nursery, a hands-on monarch butterflies school-based program, and displays championing sustainable container or small scale gardening, as well as sharing many beautiful examples of African violets.
Education at Branford Land Trust’s building shares information on Branford’s many open space trails, woodlands and marshes as part of the show’s The Beauty of Nature education section. Seaside Hall will also host conversations with community gardeners and a presentation on the threat of balloons to shore birds and aquatic life.
Meanwhile, the Shoreline Greenway Trail, with help from the Willoughby Wallace Library, will host a self-guided family book walk through the natural surrounds of the Stony Creek to Pine Orchard Trolley Trail, following posted pages of We Are Going on a Leaf Hunt by Steve Metzger.
In another educational component, Lasala, a retired teacher, has compiled information that will be posted at show venues to give the history of every building in the show, says Doreen.
Also at Seaside Hall, gifts, garden items and artful accessories, pottery, candles, jewelry and works of art will be offered at vending booths, together with miscellaneous gifts created by BGC members.
Born and raised in Branford (BHS Class of 1965), Doreen grew up with an appreciation for the area’s flora, both native and garden-introduced. She and her husband are working on developing her dream garden outside their home of five years in the Branford Point area at the house that once belonged to Doreen’s parents.
When she was a kid in town, “my grandfather used to take us for walks in the woods and gardens and point out plants to us,” says Doreen, who also remembers the first time she learned about BGC.
“My mom [got] zinnia seeds for me when I was a kid, from a friend at the Branford Yacht Club—and the seeds were from a children’s program of the BGC,” recalls Doreen. “You got to grow them and cut them and display them. That was the first time I heard of BGC, and now, I’m a member.”
Doreen has long held an appreciation for the club’s work in town.
“It is amazing how far we reach out into the town of Branford, as an integral part,” says Doreen.
The goal of The Sound and The Flora of Stony Creek is to educate, inform, and inspire, she adds.
“In horticulture, people will get to see a lot of different plants. And with the designs, you’ll get to see some really unusual and lovely designs,” says Doreen, “and then we have our actual education part of the show, which is chaired by Frank Carrano,” past Board of Education chairman and longtime BGC member.
“I’m so proud of all the people that are working on this committee,” says Doreen. “From one to the next, I can tell you they’ve gone over and above the call of duty.”
With so much to see and do, the show can easily fill up a weekend for any ticket holder.
“We really wanted to make sure we gave people an opportunity to come and see it,” says Doreen. “Hopefully, people from all over the state will be coming to see the show.”