Photo Karen Graham.
Decorating Committee member, Sharon Roffey, gets some help from husband, Ken, as they change the urn contents in front of the Cenotaph from a Remembrance Day to a Christmas theme.
A big shout-out to the wonderful volunteers who make up the Millbrook BIA (Business Improvement Association) Decorating Committee.
The Decorating Committee is a committee of, and funded by, the Millbrook BIA and has been in existence for approximately 15 years. These ladies fill 22 urns and numerous hanging baskets in the village of Millbrook with beautiful decor representing the spring, fall and winter seasons. Since the onset of Covid-19, Tony Lloyd from the Millbrook Farm and Pet Supply Store has filled the summer urns. The BIA Decorating Committee also puts together the poppy urns for Remembrance Day. Volunteers Susan Rice, Jeanne Shields, Nancy Robinson, Liz Avery, Sharon Roffey, Sherlene Challice and Susan French meet numerous times throughout the year to determine which two volunteers will be the lead for the upcoming season – deciding on the theme, colours and decorations. The group also gets together, often at the home of Susan Rice, to create decorations and to paint wooden decorations that Susan crafts. It is a labour of love for this group of ladies.
I met up with this industrious group as they were cleaning the urns of the fall decorations and preparing them for Remembrance Day. The plan was to observe Remembrance Day by having only greens and no decor in the planters. Eleven large wooden poppies, made by the group, were placed in the two Legion planters to be removed after Nov 11th. On November 12th, the full winter bling gets placed in the planters and wreaths on the lampposts. A full colour treatment will also be arranged on the bridge railings. The greenery is purchased from Puddle Duck Farms. The large Christmas tree outside the Legion is no longer decorated by the BIA Team – the torch has been passed to the Millbrook Fire Fighters and their families. A sincere thank you to them. The Decorating Committee also has a significant number of volunteers from the community who jump in to help with the physical work of completing the urns and the baskets. If you are interested in volunteering please contact Jeanneshields39@gmail.com.
So…as you stroll through our beautiful growing village please take a moment to enjoy the work of this very creative group of women.
By Janet Kennedy
