Innisfil Garden Show taking place in Stroud next weekend
By Chris Simon

It's nearly time to get growing, and the Innisfil Community Events Corporation has a few ideas on how best to do it.

The organization will host the Innisfil Garden Show at the Stroud Arena Saturday May 3, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Over 15 local exhibitors and several guest speakers will feature outdoor and garden products, tips and displays, said ICECORP member Gord Wauchope.

A live auction, featuring items from the show, will also be held that evening.

"There's exhibitors from around the town displaying their goods," said Wauchope. "There will be flowers, stone work and everything that has to do with the outdoors through the summer. There will be ponds and garden structures."

"It'll be a great show; you'll see different displays from people in the town. Come out, see what we have to offer and spend your money in Innisfil."

This is the first year that ICECORP has run the garden show. Previously, Innisfil's Communities in Bloom program has operated a similar event within the town, said Wauchope.

"Communities in Bloom had done a wonderful job for the last four or five years that they ran it, they used to call it the Garden Gala," he said. "They wanted to take a year or two off. But if you take time off, it's hard to get something to get started back up again. I asked permission to take it over and run it as a garden show for the events corporation, which they agreed to. The money is all going back to the town."

ICECORP organizers hope to raise $14,000 through the show, which will be donated to the Innisfil Recreation Complex. So far, the organization has raised about $100,000 for the complex.

"It's a fundraiser that the corporation is putting on to raise money for the rec centre," he said. "If we can raise close to (our target) that would be great. We've committed to raise $250,000 for the rec centre, so it'll help us pay down that commitment we made."

Admission to the show is $10. And there is still space for vendors interested in participating in the show. For more information, call Wauchope at 436-5388.