Flowers are blooming, pollen is in the air and the Opelika community is ready to get outdoors and tend to their gardens.
Keep Opelika Beautiful is hosting the seventh annual Garden in the Park Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Opelika Municipal Park.
The event features local garden vendors encouraging patrons to buy plants and offering tips to keep gardens healthy and attractive, along with artists selling their handmade crafts.
Admission is $2 for adults and $1 for children.
"It is a really fun event, and we try to keep admission costs low to really encourage people to come and walk through," said Tipi Miller, director of Keep Opelika Beautiful. "We have so many cool things for sale like plants, trees, bird houses, photography, paintings, children's clothes, hair bows--everything."
Piedmont Fertilizer Company in Opelika participated in the event last year and will be returning this year to sell their products.
"We take our flowers, ferns, plants and vegetables, and we are there to encourage and help people with any questions they may have about their garden," said Jane Randall Jackson, a fourth-generation family employee of the company. "It's a good way to let the community know that we offer those things along with ways to help your garden."
In addition to merchant booths, live entertainment will be on stage throughout the day, Miller said.
School choirs, bands and dance teams from the Opelika school district will perform, along with Celtic Traditions, an Irish dance performance group.
"We will have the Rocky Brook Rocket, which is an antique train that circles the park," Miller said. "It is a really cool thing, especially for people who love trains."
There will also be a variety of food, including funnel cakes, boiled peanuts and hamburgers, available for purchase.
"You name it, and we will have it," Miller said. "There is a lot going on for the day."
Over the years, the Garden in the Park has grown from featuring only local artists to including ones from across Alabama and Georgia.
"It started off as local artists that we knew or that one of the board members or volunteers might have known, but it has really grown," Miller said. "I have used the Internet to recruit people from outside the Auburn area. We have several artists from Columbus, LaGrange, Montgomery, Alex City and the Birmingham area."
Laura Shearin, junior in art, said she understands the importance of events that allow aspiring artists to sell their work.
"As an art major, I know how important it is to get your work out there for people to see and want to buy," Shearin said. "This event is a great way for students to buy handmade gifts and see a variety of local art."
Miller encourages students to come and participate at Garden in the Park to learn more about gardening and art.
"There is a wide range of items that I think will suit all different tastes," Miller said. "We really want it to be family-oriented. All different age groups can come and find something that interests them."
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