Photo supplied.
Liz Avery is one of the host gardeners hard at work to prepare for Blocks and Blooms
The Tour Guide or passport for Blocks and Blooms is now available at Bear Essentials and The Quilter’s Bolt in downtown Millbrook, complete with a map showing the locations of the special features planned for Saturday, June 23.
There are 12 glorious gardens in Millbrook getting some very special attention right now, in anticipation of this one-day event. From full-sun rock gardens to shady woodland hideaways, the self-guided walking tour promises variety and inspiration. Each of the venues has its own character and unique features. Look for scenic views, havens of peace, water features, and backyard orchards; a Zen garden, a labyrinth, and a cherub hiding here and there.
To the tints and hues of the blooms add the artistry of both modern and heirloom quilts on display and the result will be a riot of colour. The Airing of the Quilts means that all along the tour route there will be beautiful works of art on display. Three of the hosts on the tour, Lyn Lepper, Jeanne Moran and Anne Ramsay, are talented and accomplished quilters, and they will be exhibiting some of their own work. Elaine Young, with a number of other members the Millbrook Needlers Quilt Guild, is coordinating the showcasing of quilts on front porches and back verandahs as well as at St. Thomas’ Anglican Church. Each quilt has a story, and will be labeled so that participants on the tour can learn a little about each quilt’s origin.
The tour route includes the downtown business area and a number of the barn quilt blocks that have been installed in the past 18 months as part of the Cavan Monaghan Barn Quilt Trail. On display at Bear Essentials is a stained glass panel especially created for Blocks and Blooms by Peter Ramsay, to be won by one lucky raffle ticket holder. There are heritage properties all along the route that are described in the Tour Guide and also referenced in the free Walking Tour of Millbrook brochure.
The Tour Guide is the ticket for admission to the gardens, and includes property descriptions and some key information such as where washrooms are available for use. In addition to Millbrook’s cafes and restaurants, refreshments will be available at St. Thomas’ Anglican Church Hall and the Millbrook Legion’s backyard patio. Ticket holders can take advantage of the horse-drawn wagon to travel from place to place.
This event, organized by the Millbrook and Cavan Historical Society, is sponsored by the Downtown Millbrook BIA and Nexicom. Special thanks go to the supportive advertisers in the Tour Guide, and to Joe Weissmann for providing the map, Rachel Crawford at Crawford Copy for outstanding print services, and Bruce Gazley for website design and management. For more information, please visit www.blocksandblooms.com
By Celia Hunter
