Events
Upcoming Events:
Art in Bloom
Due to the current Covid-19 situation, our annual Art in Bloom exhibit has been postponed.
We look forward to rescheduling with our partner, the Taylor Community, who has graciously
allowed us to use public space in the Woodside Building.
Please check back for updates regarding this event.
Garden Tour
The Opechee Garden Club is delighted to announce that their biennial garden tour will return this July. The club was unable to hold their 2020 tour due to COVID concerns, but are gearing up for a better than ever tour this summer. The co-chairs include Ginnie Johnson, Judy Robertson, Priscilla Clark, Esther Kratochvil, and Phyllis Corrigan. Judy Robertson announced, “We are so happy to be back planning our Summer Garden tour and Luncheon. The gardens and the menu have been selected. We have a great team working on all the special things that make our tour so unique.”
The theme for the 2022 tour is “Tea in the Garden”. The club expects a great turnout this year given the inability to hold the 2020 tour and the general uptick in outdoor activities noticed during the pandemic.
COVID presented challenges for people worldwide to connect and maintain social relationships while also following medical guidelines to maintain social distancing. Many people turned to small outdoor get togethers to assuage risks while visiting family and friends. As such we saw patio furniture, heat lamps, tiki torches, swing sets, hammocks, and all types of outdoor equipment join the ranks of hot commodity items likely to sell out online. This increased utilization of yards as an outdoor living space has sparked an interest in gardening among many who rarely used their outdoor spaces prior to COVID. The Opechee Garden Tour is a great opportunity for novices and enthusiasts alike to see a variety of garden styles, designs, and structures and get ideas for how to implement similar techniques at home. Garden hosts will be present to answer questions and direct your tour of their gardens.
The theme “Tea in the Garden” will allow each garden to demonstrate different ideas of ways to entertain outdoors. From whimsical and carefree to elegant and refined, gardens will feature a variety of tablescapes that coordinate with the overall tone or feel of the garden. Weather permitting, several of the gardens will include en plein air artists as an added delight.
There is a great variety of garden styles present on the 2022 tour. Visitors will encounter an Asian themed stroll garden, a garden cultivated for almost a century by the founder of the Opechee Garden Club and her descendants, and an ecologically conscious and bio-diverse garden to describe a few. There is even a garden focused on growing flowers for botanical art and floral pressings. There truly is something for everyone.
The first 300 tickets sold also include admittance to a luncheon hosted by the Opechee Garden Club at the Gilford Community Church. This luncheon features home-baked treats, beverages, and the club’s signature chicken salad. Additionally, there will be educational opportunities at the luncheon focusing on how to identify and control invasive species you may encounter in your New Hampshire garden. The luncheon will also include a raffle with some great prizes for a few lucky attendees.
The Opechee Garden club is committed to making this garden tour a successful community event. They have selected a beautiful array of gardens and pride themselves on their attention to detail. The club’s tour is sponsored by Meredith Village Savings Bank as well as several local businesses. Tickets are $30 each and proceeds from the tour will be used to fund local scholarships, to maintain community gardens such as the WOW trail, and to donate to environmental non-profits. Tickets can be purchased at Appletree Nursery in Winnisquam, the Laconia Public Library, Petal Pushers in Laconia, Beans and Greens Farm in Gilford, the Gilford Public Library, and Cackleberries in Meredith. Tickets may also be purchased the day of at the Gilford Community Church.
For more information regarding the tour or if you are interested in joining the Opechee Garden Club, please email Opecheegardenclub2012@gmail.com. The Opechee Garden Club is committed to beautifying the lakes region and supporting the community. This year’s garden tour promises to showcase beautiful backyard respites and spark ideas for your own outdoor spaces.