Owasso Hosts 14th Annual Garden Festival
By RAEGAN DOUGHARTY
Contributing Writer
VENDORS GATHER: Past festivals have included a variety of vendors and offerings, and the 14th annual spring festival is set to include herbs, cacti, orchids, vegetables, Amish pastries and yard art among other items.
Courtesy Owasso Bouquet of Gardeners
The Owasso Bouquet of Gardeners is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2018. The club, founded in 1998, is hosting the 14th annual Owasso Bouquet of Gardeners Spring Garden Festival on May 5 at Tyann Plaza, 9451 N. Owasso Expressway, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Faye Loyd, festival chair and a member of Owasso Bouquet of Gardeners, said she is serving in this role for the second year in a row.
Loyd says the vendors come from around the region, ranging from Collinsville to Broken Arrow. Vendors include people selling a variety of items including plants, jam, organic honey, wine, jewelry, garden art and other items.
“We’re not done getting people in yet,” Loyd says. “We welcome all kinds of businesses from the community and beyond.”
She estimates previous years have seen about 400 to 500 attendees, saying that the weather is a the major factor in determining how many guests come. Loyd says the guests range from older people to young families.
“It’s always fun meeting people,” she says. “Some are curiosity seekers out looking for something to do for the day, and some are dedicated gardeners.”
Loyd says that about 20 club members are involved in putting on the festival on the day of the event. All of the work done to make the festival possible is done by volunteers. The proceeds are used to give a $1,000 scholarship to a graduating Owasso senior, in addition to two community beautification projects for the year.
“We also have an Up With Trees site here in Owasso, and we pay for that each year. Then, we usually do another beautification project sometime during the year,” Loyd says. “We just completed, in the fall, having five trees planted by the fire station down on 76th Street. That was our contribution this year to the Redbud District.”
The festival is the club’s only fundraiser each year, providing funds for club projects through the help of sponsors, along with the money made by the festival itself. Entry to the festival is free.
“We have sponsors that give. Some give products, like gift cards or a basket of flowers. Lowe’s is giving a grill, that’s our big giveaway,” Loyd says. “We have anywhere from 5-12 gifts that we raffle off.”
In addition to the fees paid by the vendors for booth space, the raffle is another primary part of fundraising at the festival. Raffle tickets cost $1 or six for $5. Loyd says door prizes are given every half hour during the festival.
“One thing that is new this year is we’re going to have our master gardeners, we have a number of them in the club; and they’re going to offer up some of their own plants from their own gardens,” Loyd says. “And they’ll be offering advice on how to plant.”
The festival will include entertainment at 10 a.m. and noon. A musical presentation directed by Amanda Foyil of Foyil Music Studio will be held at 10, and a group directed by Rhees Lane from Bailey Elementary School will perform with Japanese Taiko drums at 12.
Loyd says two of the four original 1998 garden club founders, Barbara Moore and Judy Wilhelm, are still with the club today.
In addition to the garden festival each spring, the 20-year-old club has monthly meetings.
“I have learned a lot. I’ve been with the club, I think six years, and I’ve learned a lot about gardening,” Loyd says. “We have a speaker every month that we meet. It’s a great resource for people wanting to learn more about gardening.”
Club members also attend garden-related field trips throughout the year to different locations, such as the Tulsa Botanic Garden and Grogg’s Green Barn.
“We have a lot of fun,” Loyd said.
Visit owassogardenclub.com for more information.
Updated 04-30-2018
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