Milton Garden Club to exhibit at Holly Festival Dec. 13

The Milton Garden Club will offer an array of fresh greens from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. during the annual Holly Festival Saturday, Dec. 13. The club will have their tent set up on the sidewalk in front of the Milton Historical Society at 210 Union St. in downtown Milton.

While many of the Holly Festival vendors will be located at Milton’s two elementary schools, some will be on the Milton Public Library’s second floor. Also in the library at 1 p.m. will be a wreath-making demonstration by Mike Wadja using native holly. A Santa House will be set up at the Milton Theatre Quayside. There will be shuttle bus service taking shoppers to and from downtown Milton, H.O. Brittingham Elementary School and Milton Elementary School.

The garden club will have bundles of fresh mixed greens, porch pots, small mixed greens arrangements in cute holiday containers, table centerpieces with and without candles, bundles of native holly and magnolia branches, swags, one wreath of native holly made and donated by Mike Wadja, mixed greens wreaths and, if time allows, one or two boxwood wreaths.

Garden club vice president and award-winning artist Julie Smith will be selling raffle tickets for the Sailor’s Valentine she created just for the club. For those who aren’t familiar with a Sailor’s Valentine, it is similar to a painting but made of hundreds and sometimes thousands of multicolored seashells.

Smith said, “I was delighted to make this garden-themed Sailor’s Valentine to benefit the Milton Garden Club, because they contribute enormously to the beauty and quality of life in Milton. I believe so strongly in their mission that I joined the club.” The raffle winner will be drawn at 2 p.m.

After shopping at the garden club booth, festival attendees may wish to check out the video, “The Holly Wreath Man: Holly History in Milton,” which will be running all day in the Milton Historical Society Museum. The museum gift shop will be turned into a pop-up antiques market, and a variety of historic cakes will be available, including Smith Island, Lady Baltimore and Mary Todd Lincoln’s Almond Cake. Museum hours that day are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Milton Holiday House Tour will run from 2 to 6 p.m., Dec. 13; it will include a number of private homes and some public buildings. This event is sponsored by the Women's Club of Milton, and more information may be found on the WCOM Facebook page.

For details about the garden club Holly Festival sale, call Kathryn at 302-684-3804.