Villages_beautiful

Jeff Green | May 18, 2006

Back toHome

Get on theTeam:join Villages Beautiful in keeping our villages beautiful

by Jule KochBrison

The Villages Beautiful Committee is holding an Open House/ Community Meeting tonight, May 11, 7:30 pm at the Oso Community Hall in Sharbot Lake, and everyone is invited for an evening of refreshments, brainstorming, door prizes and fun.

In the last five years, the all-volunteer beautification committee has tirelessly carried out dozens of projects in Central Frontenac, and Chair Rosemarie Bowick is hoping that people will come with their ideas and suggestions for this year’s plans.

Villages Beautiful is best known for founding and organizing the Festival of Trees, which has become a dearly loved Christmas tradition and has drawn hundreds of visitors to the Sharbot Lake area every year. Among its other projects are the distinctive signs welcoming visitors to Arden, Mountain Grove, Parham, Tichborne and Sharbot Lake; the hanging baskets on the causeway at Sharbot Lake; public benches; the Sharbot Lake Public School garden project; the Community Herb Garden; and of course, the beautiful flowers and planters throughout the villages. In addition, Villages Beautiful has organized clean ups in the communities; donated to the Parham Fair, the Food Bank and the Arden church auction; and supported the Central Frontenac Heritage Mural Project.

Villages Beautiful supports local businesses, not only by attracting visitors into the communities, but also by buying all of its supplies and materials locally, and employing local contractors and artisans.

The purpose of tonight’s meeting is to refresh the project and organization. There will be material showing how Villages Beautiful is organized and funded and how the funds are allocated to the different projects; and material showing what Villages Beautiful has done in different communities. The committee is open to discussion about what people think have been good projects, and any ideas and suggestions for new ones. A new committee will be appointed to manage the ongoing program.

If you can’t make it to tonight’s meeting but would still like to help out, call 375-6206; 335-3578; or 279-2046.