Are you looking for a fun, environmentally-friendly way to give back to the community this Mother’s Day weekend? If so, the Londonderry Grange has the perfect event for you. On Saturday, May 12, from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., the Grange will host its annual Mother’s Day plant sale at the Grange Hall, located at 260 Mammoth Road.
Each year, regular locals and families are invited to join members of the Grange to pick out a plant of their choice, which they will then learn how to pot, water, and care for in a four-inch pot. Children are able to create labels to decorate their plants with for the perfect handmade Mother’s Day gift.
“The Grange is famous for its wide variety of herbs, tomato plants, perennials, flats of annuals, and lusch hanging baskets,” Cherylann Pierce, the Grange’s chaplin and community service coordinator explained. “Thirty or so individual annuals will be available for free for the children to choose from.” Home Depot donates a gift card.
Local nurseries such as Orchard Hill Greenhouses, owned by Mark Tepper, and Green River Growers, owned by Glenn Carey, donate a generous amount of plants and herbs to the sale each year – and for a good cause. This year, all proceeds will be used to help fix a leak in the Grange Hall roof, which is currently causing ceiling damage. It’s important for the hall to be up and running so that members of the Londonderry community can continue to use the space for personal use, as well as for events such as the upcoming tricentennial celebration.
“The Grange members are dedicated to preserving the hall and to providing community service to the town,” Pierce said. “One of my favorite parts of the sale each year is the comradery of the Grange group. A dozen or so of us – the core worker bees – have become great friends because we’re all like-minded.”
In an effort to expand the Grange’s outreach, members are currently considering creating a “Friends of the Grange” group for anyone who frequents their events and programs. These individuals would not pay dues and would simply volunteer their time at events such as the Mother’s Day plant sale.
Another unique aspect of this year’s plant sale will be its bakesale, put on by local Eagle Scout Louis Turcotte. This has not always been a part of the event, but it will be a great way for families to share a sweet treat this Mother’s Day weekend. Water will also be served in paper cups rather than plastic bottles in order to keep the event environmentally friendly.
So, bring your mother, wife, sister, friends, and family to the Grange Hall this Saturday afternoon for fun, plants, and to help give back to the Grange so that it can keep giving back to the people of Londonderry.