LETTER: Thanks for making Spring Fever a success

Dear Editor:

The weather was beautiful! The flowers were gorgeous! The crowds were great! The participation of so many was appreciated! Thank you all for a very successful Spring Fever in the Garden.

It is with great gratitude to so many responsible for assisting our 130 Bloom and Grow Garden Society members with this huge event. It takes a full year of planning with the city of Winter Garden and especially with Recreation Director Jay Conn. Our thanks to Jay and his team, and the many departments that also work with us, including the parks, public works and solid waste departments

Thank you; fire and police departments and, of course, Mayor John Rees, city commissioners and City Manager Mike Bollhoefer.

Thank you, Andy Crabtree, of Crabtree Ink, who has designed our shirts for 15 years and is responsible for all our marketing and branding of Spring Fever. Your patience and guidance with our ladies are always a bonus for us.

We had a record number of outstanding sponsors through the hard work of our sponsor chair, co-chairs and sponsor committee. We are thankful for your confidence in our event and look forward to many more years of partnering with you.

Our appreciation to the many volunteers who gave us countless hours — including the Boy Scout troops 198, 210 and 223. We cannot thank the Winter Garden Rotary Club enough for its assistance early Saturday morning setting up tents and taking them down Sunday afternoon.

 We thank the many young adults helping us in Kidzone, taking surveys, working the butterfly exhibit, the pick-up point, delivering vendor bags and so much more.  The First United Methodist Church provided a free shuttle both days from Veteran Memorial Park to downtown. And the church’s youth also assisted the vendors and Bloom and Grow ladies Sunday morning when many tents were collapsed, broken or blown away.

We appreciate all the publicity provided for us by the West Orange Times & Observer, Orlando Sentinel, WFTV, the Triangle News, Winter Garden Magazine and North Lake Outpost.

We appreciate the downtown merchants and restaurants who always meet us with enthusiasm and help provide us with whatever we need for our meetings, raffles, kickoff or by purchasing ads.

Chalkin’ It Up was successful with a sellout crowd participating for cash prizes. So much beautiful art.

Most of all, we thank God for the perfect weather — rain free during the day so everyone could enjoy their time at the 15th Annual Spring Fever in the Garden. We are so thankful for all who helped us — so Bloom and Grow Garden Society can fulfill our mission: “To stimulate a knowledge and love of gardening; to aid in protection of native plants and birds; to encourage civic plantings.”

Sue Crabtree, festival chairwoman

Spring Fever in the Garden