The Wet, Cold and Tough Performance of Master Gardeners at the 2024 Spring Garden Fair Event

They say what does not kill you makes you stronger.

Our volunteers certainly got stronger on May 4th!

 

The Spring Garden Fair got off to a soggy start. May 4^th temperatures never got into the fifties, and it rained a record 0.91 inches. There were only a handful of those 100+ volunteers who were not out in it and wet. Even lucky volunteers who were inside felt the cold, as the doors were open next to their table and the greenhouses were also chilly. The rest slugged through mud, puddles, and small rivers. Some had the pretense of being protected by the pop-up tents. But the slight breeze quickly removed that idea as they become almost as wet as people who had jobs directly in the weather.  

It takes a village, and our JCMGA village is a place where people work together. This was absolutely true on May 4^th. Because of the incumbent weather, we expected that it would probably not be too busy.  Quite the contrary! Those JCMGA volunteers doing traffic and parking duties were real heroes and had the worst of it. We ow those folks a great big “Thank You.” They made it possible for the plant-loving public who braved the weather to get to the plants and buy, buy, buy!

The village had many helping hands that day. There were the plant people who answered questions and found what customers wanted inside and outside of the greenhouses. The cashiers were essential, for there can be no sale without them. The people who staffed the “park your plants” pop-up tables provided a storage place while people shopped for more.  The wagon pullers hauled all the plants toward the customer’s conveyance to a new home. The golf cart driver took passengers from the parking area to the shopping area, and then back to their cars. The rovers jumped in wherever needed when called upon for help. The adults made the children’s rock painting possible. And the charming, young, 4-H fellows took food orders and then bought us warm food to sustain us.

When Sunday came, the volunteers all returned and were ready to do it again. Fortunately, the weather improved. The 2024 Spring Garden Fair will remain an event that JCMGA volunteers will remember. Everyone should be very proud of their performance, true grit and ability to hang tough. They really showed what this group is made of.

Thank you all for your amazing tenacity, forbearance, and generosity of spirit that truly made a miserable day into magic for those brave souls who came. SFG 2024 was a great success. Many, many thanks!