GUEST SPEAKER … Montpelier Recreation Director Sandy Gordon speaks to the Williams County Mayors Association at their latest meeting. (PHOTO BY JEREMY SCOTT, STAFF)
By: Jeremy Scott
The Williams County Mayors Association met on April 21st in regular session at Drop Tine Winery and Tap House.
The speaker for the evening was Sandy Gordon, Montpelier Recreation Director. Sandy spoke to the Mayors in regards to the current trend of gardening.
Many people have started gardens within the past year in order to combat boredom during the COVID Pandemic while also providing exercise and reducing stress. According to reports, there were 16 million new gardeners in 2020.
71% of garden centers reported increased sales in 2020 with 86 percent of those currently gardening saying they would continue this year.
Sandy also spoke on the Montpelier Kid’s Garden being awarded the status of the All-America Selections Display Garden. The application was free with no annual cost, but there are requirements to become a display garden.
The garden must be open to the public, the garden must be grown and maintained in an orderly, visually appealing fashion, they are subject to an annual inspection, plants must be labeled and marked with the All-America Selections logo.
AAS has provided a sign for the Kid’s Garden that will be placed this spring. Pictures of the garden will be displayed on the companies website.
Gordon also spoke on the Village’s Junior Gardner Program for children 8-12 years old. The program has been ongoing since 1997. She has developed a 5-year lesson plan for the program.
In other news, the mayor’s discussed the various festivals and parades that were curbed last year, but are poised to make a return in 2021. The Bryan Jubilee and Day in the Park, the Montpelier
Bean Days and Veteran’s Parade, Stryker SummerFest, Pioneer Memorial Day Parade and Kaleb McLaughlin Memorial Ride, West Unity Egg N Fest, and Edon Days are all scheduled to return in 2021.
Jeremy can be reached at publisher@thevillagereporter.com