Raffle Tickets on Great Items

As Nova Scotia gardeners bid a weary "good-by" to April, and look for warmer days in May,  they have only about a month left for garden chores before they head to the NSAGC Convention (June 3 and 4) at the Atlantica Hotel and Marina Oak Island.

As the host group, members of the South Shore District have long been preparing for the June date and are looking forward to greeting all the registrants. One of the special treats on offer will be a series of raffles that include a variety of items of interest to gardeners.

The red wheelbarrow below was originally offered to members of local clubs in District 6, to help offset costs of running the Convention, and it was such a success that a second barrow was commissioned. The yellow barrow (scroll down to see it) will be offered on raffle at the Convention, so that all registrants will have the opportunity to get tickets in time for the draw on June 4th. Raffle tickets will be sold for $2 each or 3 tickets for $5.

Both barrows were custom-made by Greg Hiltz, husband of Brenda (Director, NSAGC District 6) and are sturdy and easy to manipulate over rough ground. The yellow wheelbarrow has the added attraction of floral designs painted by Louise Lively, who is shown seated in the barrow to provide an approximation of its size.

In addition to the wheelbarrow, a second draw from those raffle tickets will earn another lucky winner a beautiful hand-crafted wicker chair. This chair, suitable for the garden or indoors, was donated by Brenda Franklin and her husband, Rob, who created it.

But there's more to come! With the help of generous local sponsors, a third set of raffle tickets will be sold during the Convention.  In this set, tickets will also be  $2 each or 3 for $5 but there will be four draws. The lucky winners of the draws will take home either 1) an eight-piece set of Paderno pots (four pots with covers); 2) a pottery dish shaped like a mussel shell that is safe for both oven and microwave; 3) a pewter candle holder with candle; or 4) a PlantCam (a time-lapse camera that can automatically create photos or videos to record plant growth over a specific period of time).

The Convention Committee is grateful to the following donors for the above items: Chester Pharmasave for the Paderno pots; Artifacts in Clay for the mussel shell; Amos Pewter for the candle holder and candle; and  For the Birds Nature Shop for the PlantCam.  Tickets for the raffles will be on sale on June 3rd and 4th at the Convention site.  Be sure to pick up a bunch of them to increase your chance of winning!