Hanging baskets a hit at Garden Fair

Fifteen minutes after doors opened for the fourth annual Sisters Elementary School Garden Fair, only 50 of nearly 200 hanging flower baskets were left.

Elementary school students who participate in the school's garden club nurtured the plants for weeks in preparation for this year's sale on May 12.

This year's goal was to raise enough money to equip the school's new greenhouse with electricity, according to parent Vonda Solitz, the club's co-founder.

Pam Bird, the wife of David Hewitt, who teaches fourth grade at the elementary school, was one of the first-comers to select that perfect basket. She knew exactly what she was buying.

"We bought some last year, and they were fabulous. They lasted all summer. They (the students) did a fantastic job on these hanging baskets. I had to come back," said Bird.

Many items, some of which were quite unique, were offered at the silent auction. Donna Moyer gave four piano lessons. Hoyt's Hardware provided a home improvement basket. C & C Nursery donated a huge hanging basket. Pro Golf of Bend offered 18 holes of golf at Aspen Lakes with some extra goodies thrown in. A basket filled with coffee and coffee mugs and an herb garden were also up for grabs.

"Really this is our big fund-raiser. We do a few other little things, but we have to run the program for a full year on this," said Solitz.

The Sisters Elementary School Garden Club is a program offered free of charge to all students who attend the school and is staffed by parent volunteers.

Last year's garden fair netted $3,000 according to Solitz. Sales were brisk throughout the day at this year's event with net profits mounting to a little under $4,000, providing the funds to add electricity to the greenhouse, as well as some necessary operating capital.

"It's going to cost us about $3,000 for electricity," Solitz said.

Sisters Community Garden staffed a booth at the event. Sue Stafford, co-facilitator of the community garden, told The Nugget that the elementary school's garden club generously donated the booth to the community garden.

Pictures of the new garden on Adams Avenue were displayed "for people who haven't had a chance to come by..." said Stafford.

Volunteers were available to answer questions about the community garden and about the challenges of gardening in Central Oregon.

The community garden sold raspberry plants, as well as items volunteers made, including dragon fly pins, Zen meditation sand gardens and hand-made note cards. All proceeds were for the benefit of the Sisters Community Garden.