Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners are happy to announce a popular fair exhibit will be back this year after a several year hiatus. The Orleans County Fair Flower Show will once again be featured alongside the Master Gardener booth in the Lartz Building during the Orleans County 4-H Fair July 24 through 29. The Flower Show is a chance for the general public to showcase some of their favorite horticultural pieces from home. Anyone in the community can enter an exhibit in one of eight categories – Fairy Garden, Floral Arrangement, Houseplant, Succulent, Unique Container, Hanging Basket/Urn/Pot, Garden Accent, and Miscellaneous. This year’s Flower Show will be the first since 2019.
The Flower Show got its start in Orleans County in 2015. At the time, CCE Orleans was lucky enough to have Amanda Mrzywka, now a board member and owner of Navarra’s Farm Market and Greenhouse in Albion, working as an Americorps intern. Amanda was able to dedicate her time to making sure the first Orleans County Flower Show got off to a great start. She studied Flower Shows from across the state and country, and modeled the fledgling Orleans County show after the highly popular show at the Erie County Fair. The first year of the Orleans County Flower Show was a great success, and with Amanda on board as a Master Gardener Volunteer and with the help from a grant from GoArt, the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council, the Flower Show continued for several years until 2019 when Amanda stepped away as a Master Gardener to focus on her thriving business. This year, Orleans County Master Gardeners decided it was time to bring the Flower Show back.
Master Gardener Volunteers Nancy Halstead, Brenda Radzinski, and Linda Oakes formed a committee and set to work planning for the revival of the Flower Show for the 2023 Orleans County 4-H Fair.
“With a surge of interest in gardening following COVID, we wanted to provide fairgoers not only the opportunity to participate in a flower and gardening exhibit, but also maybe to gather ideas from their fellow gardeners in the community,” explained Nancy Halstead, the chairperson of the Master Gardener Flower Show Committee.
The committee followed many of the previous Flower Show’s guidelines, but opted for a more relaxed, low-key show this year. There are fewer categories than in the past and less restrictive protocols to follow. The biggest change in this year’s Flower Show is that it will be judged by the public instead of by hired official Flower Show judges. Fairgoers will have the opportunity to vote on their favorite exhibits by paper ballot Monday through Thursday of fair week (July 24 through 27). Votes will be tallied and ribbons for each category will be displayed on Friday and Saturday, typically the two busiest days of fair.
“We decided to go with a less restrictive format this year to gauge interest from the public before attempting a standard flower show which can be costly and has much stricter guidelines,” said Halstead.
The main goal of the Flower Show this year will be to showcase community members’ creativity and prowess in their gardens and to beautify the Lartz building, often filled with vendors and community businesses displaying their organization’s goods. The Flower Show will be displayed adjacent to the Master Gardener booth, bringing vibrant life and color to the area.
“The main reason why I love the Flower Show is that it combines art with gardening,” said Brenda Radzinski, Master Gardener Volunteer and Flower Show committee member. “I love seeing the unusual varieties of flowers and creative ways to display them. I really look forward to seeing what Orleans County gardeners come up with.”
The 2023 Orleans County Fair Flower Show is open to all ages. Each exhibitor can enter up to three pieces in each category. Pre-registration is required and paperwork must be received in the Orleans County CCE office by Monday, July 17. Full details as well as pre-registration forms, exhibitor packets, and general rules and information can be found on the Orleans County CCE website https://orleans.cce.cornell.edu/. As an added bonus, each exhibitor will receive one free week-long fair pass for their participation and to tend to their exhibits throughout the week.
“The biggest reason why we wanted to bring the Flower Show back is that flowers make people feel good,” said Linda Oakes, a long-time Master Gardener and the third member of the Flower Show committee. “Whenever people are out and about, seeing gardens and seeing flowers just makes people happy, and we wanted to bring that happiness back to the Orleans County Fair.”
For more details or questions about the Master Gardener Program or the Fair Flower Show, contact Katie Oakes, coordinator of the Master Gardeners, at 585-798-4265 ext. 125 or klo54@cornell.edu.
Provided information
