Annual Spring Plant Auction

The annual Spring Plant Auction hosted by New Castle Garden Club will be Thursday, April 27, at 7:00 p.m. in the New Castle Christian Church fellowship hall.  The public is cordially invited to attend. Light refreshments will be served. Day lilies and perennials that have been recently dug from members’ yards and will grow well in Craig County will be for sale, as well as a variety of house plants, annuals and cuttings from shrubs and trees.

New Castle Garden Club was founded in 1939 and since then has used a variety of methods to raise funds for their projects.  Currently the club is maintaining a Monarch Waystation, landscaping around the town post office, and makes donations to local fire department and rescue squads.

In the early days the club produced plays, sponsored dances, and collected ‘fines’ from members when they did not bring arrangements to a meeting. More recently, fundraisers have included raffling a basket at Fall Festivals, selling paper flowers and staging an Ikebana demonstration and tea.

In the 1980s, members brought plants from their yard to a spring meeting where they were auctioned to each other. Eventually guests were invited and the location moved to the community room at Craig-Botetourt.  For two years it was part of an outdoor flea market at the Fairgrounds.  The Christian Church location has been used for several years as it offers ample parking, is centrally located and can accommodate a large audience along with plants and refreshments.

Auctioneering is enthusiastically provided by Maywood Garden Club member Virginia McWhorter, who was given honorary membership in the New Castle club several years ago.

For more information about the April 27 auction or the New Castle Garden Club, please call Lee Greiser 864-6261 or Diane Givens 580-3745.

-Submitted by Diane Givens