By Katie Benfield 
What could be more beautiful than downtown Blowing Rock in the middle of the summer with its quaint shops, high-quality restaurants and friendly, smiling faces? The only thing that could possibly add to the wonder of the small town would be the gardens upon gardens of numerous flowers that will be showcased throughout the Blowing Rock Garden Club’s Mile of Flowers event that will be taking place on Friday, June 23 this summer.
If you love flowers of all kinds, then you do not want to miss the beauty and awe that the vibrant gardens will have to offer you throughout this event. The gazebo on Main Street, with its flair and notoriety, will be where the event begins at 9 a.m., and it will also be serving as the information center.
“When everyone arrives at the gazebo, they will be given a map of all of the gardens,” Susan Sweet, Publicity Chairperson for the Mile of Flowers, said. “They can explore the beauty of Blowing Rock on their own, however they’d like.”
The Mile of Flowers began in 2009, and it was a gift from the Blowing Rock Garden Club to the village of Blowing Rock in order to bring people into the town to experience its amazing aesthetic and see the captivating flowers in June.
The 2017 Mile of Flowers will be offering participants the opportunity to explore the private gardens of homes and churches that were selected as the prime gardens for this event from 9:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.
“Rumple Presbyterian and St. Mary of the Hills Episcopal Church are going to be on display,” Sweet said, “and they are stunning.”
At each of the gardens, there will be Garden Club guides who can provide information about the plants and flowers — just in case you want to go home and start a garden of your own!
“They will be able to tell you all about the plants,” Sweet said. “They will also make sure that you don’t miss the most amazing plants and flowers in the garden.”
While touring the gardens, you can also stop by the public library in Blowing Rock where the Garden Club has its boutique. If you’re a fan of handcrafted items, garden-themed items or anything homemade, then this boutique is the place for you! It will be offering these items for purchase from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
“All of the items for sale have been handmade by Garden Club members,” Sweet said. “We will also be selling specially designed t-shirts that were designed by one of our members and a local artist in Blowing Rock.”
Along with this, the Garden Club will be selling a unique cookbook that all of the members worked diligently to put together. However, it isn’t just any old cookbook. Instead of being organized by dish, the cookbook is organized by herb.
“So, say you’re growing parsley. You can look in the section for parsley in the cookbook,” Sweet said. “There, you will find information about the herb, as well as, tips from Garden Club members about how to use it.”
Making the cookbook took approximately a year, and it involved taking submitted recipes from the members of the Garden Club, creating drawing of all the herbs and organizing everything in the best way possible. It’s a special cookbook that nobody should want to miss out on.
Not only will there be beautiful gardens and skillfully crafted items for sale, but there will also be a tea party to add to the wonder of the day, beginning at 2 p.m. in the newly renovated and up-to-date American Legion Building.
“At the tea party, there will be a bunch of goodies that are homemade by the members of the Garden Club,” Sweet said. “It’s going to be such a smortgage board of goodies that you don’t want to miss!:”
In the past, this event has sold out or has been close to selling out, so the same results are expected for this year’s Mile of Flowers. Tickets must be purchased beforehand, and there are a limited number. In order to purchase tickets, email mof2017brgc@gmail.com or call Jean Baskin at 828-295-0901.
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