Robert Moore
April 27, 2007
Specialty Eye Care America following the course of Imhotep
May 1, 2007
Garden enthusiasts will want to mark May 5 on their calendar. That’s the day of the annual Bonne Terre Garden Fair at Southdown Plantation in Houma.
Gates open at 8:30 a.m., and the fair will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tickets are $2 in advance and $3 on the day of the fair. Admission is free for children under age 12. Advance tickets are available at the Southdown Gift Shop, which is open Tuesday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Now in its second year, the garden fair celebration offers variety of activities for the entire family. In addition to expert speakers and demonstrations, the day will include educational displays, plant sales, vendors with lawn and garden merchandise, children’s hands-on activities, a plant disease clinic and a soil testing station, a garden-themed art show, historic museum tours, food concessions and more.
Presented by the Terrebonne Historical and Cultural Society, La-Terre Master Gardeners Association and the LSU Agricultural Center n with additional support from local business sponsors n the show attracted over 800 visitors last year.
By late April, close to 300 tickets had already been pre-sold for the 2007 fair, said Karen Hart, director of Southdown Plantation.
All the educational programs are free with admission to the garden fair.
At the speaker’s tent, hummingbird expert Olga Clifton of Abita Spring will speak at 9:30 a.m. She will be followed by Dr. Neil Odenwald, Dr. Hallie Dozier and Dan Gill, all representing LSU AgCenter, and Joe Baucum of the Louisiana Palm and Cycad Society and Louisiana Urban Forestry Council in Barataria.
Landscaping, vegetation, plants and flower demonstrations will be held throughout the day.
The Louisiana Master Gardeners program is a service and educational activity offered by the Louisiana Cooperative Service. The program is designed to recruit and train volunteers to help meet the educational needs of home gardeners while providing and enjoyable and worthwhile service experience for the volunteers.
Hart said any experienced and/or beginning gardeners seeking up-to-date horticultural information can advance their gardening expertise and gain self-satisfaction through volunteer efforts.
“The volunteer aspect of the master gardeners program allows individuals to dedicate their time and talents to enhance the quality of life for citizens of their community by using the science and art of horticulture. It allows individuals to put into practice what they know and learn,” Hart said.
The La-Terre Master Gardeners Association was established in 2000 and assists the extension staff in Terrebonne, Lafourche, St. Mary and Assumption parishes in sharing gardening information with the general public.
“La-Terre has dedicated itself to many projects which deal with horticultural education in our communities. These include the garden fair, landscaping for Habitat for Humanities houses, annual citrus and tomato field days and assistance with numerous 4-H programs,” the garden fair spokesman said.
Founded in 1972, the Terrebonne Historical and Cultural Society, Inc., is a non-profit organization of community members and volunteers dedicated to preservation and promotion of history, culture and the arts in Terrebonne Parish, primarily through the maintenance, exhibits and program of Southdown Plantation House/Terrebonne Museum.
The historical society owns and operates the plantation house and museum, which is open five days a week for public tours. Twelve rooms of exhibits featuring original bedrooms furniture; memories of Terrebonne history and culture room’ Mardi Gras; native people of Louisiana; changing works by local artist; sugar industry room; 135 Boehm and Doughty porcelain birds; Charles Gilbert art collection; Thad St. Martin literature collection and a re-creation of the office of the late U.S. Senator Allen J. Ellender.
In addition to the daily museum tours, the society sponsors the semi-educational marketplace arts and crafts festival and hosts a variety of concerts, art exhibits, educational trips, guest lecturers and other public programs throughout the year.
Through the entire month of May, a regular museum art show inspired by a garden theme will be on display at the plantation house and museum. The admission is $2, but is free on the day of the garden fair.
For more information contact Karen Hart at (985) 851-0154 or by email at gardenfair@mobiletel.com
