Mark and I don’t know where to start, the Symposium weekend exceeded our expectations and was spectacular! Words cannot describe how happy and proud we are! You guys were wonderful, outstanding, cheerful, helpful, enthusiastic, caring, generous and the most amazing ambassadors any town could ever hope for. The last-minute street clean ups in town, (thank you DPW!) mulch spreading, dead heading and watering was exhausting but oh so appreciated, our little “Hollyrock” Holliston has never been so beautiful.
The work started in 2016 expanding the border along Washington Street. Local businesses Tree Specialists and MoistureTek donated materials and services. Seventy-five hydrangea shrubs were purchased and planted. Our downtown floral design subcommittee started planning the flowers last fall and worked with Pleasant View Nursery, a Proven Winners grower, to order all the plants for downtown areas and Pinecrest Golf Club. Several weekends were spent prepping and planting. New self-standing window boxes were built, planted, and delivered to various storefronts free of charge. Downtown Marigold Project added many dozens of window boxes on the bridges on the Rail Trail and along Washington Street. Countless hours were spent caring for the border, and multitude of planters throughout town all summer and fall. In September and October, nearly 1,000 mums were planted downtown and at Pinecrest.
Our own Erin Dowling Porter created a gorgeous color walking tour pamphlet to give attendees which described each of the 8 stops with brief talking points. In contrast, prior years’ walking tour participants receive a single page handout with a map and route marked.
I’d like to share a few stories and comments that we heard over the weekend...please indulge me.
Wednesday morning, a crew of outstanding Garden Club members descended upon the Sheraton Hotel and transformed it, creating fall vignettes with cornstalks, pumpkins, grasses and flowers; hotel workers comments included “our hotel has never been this beautiful, who did the decorations, what company do they work for” and so on. It was a beautiful transformation! They even put out a huge fall flower arrangement in the entry way, which took your breath away! And then again on Thursday evening at dinner, we were treated to gorgeous fall arrangements on the stage and the club’s beautifully and creatively decorated pumpkins (26), which adorned the tables for opening night ceremonies and the rest of the weekend. Another wow moment... our Laurie Levitt’s original Holliston in Bloom art work that was on the cover of the AIB brochures and any symposium publicity was enlarged (10 ft. x 10 ft.) and hung in the hotel as a back drop and selfie station, so beautiful!
On Thursday morning bright and early at 7 a.m. ,our first team of volunteers were at the hotel to great folks from 39 cities across the country and get them at the correct locations, answer questions and most importantly be our ambassadors of Holliston; all weekend judges, visitors and board members commented on the friendliness and helpfulness of our volunteers, seems natural and the right thing to do for us, but you’d be surprised, thank you to Registration volunteers!
Friday morning, a first for any America in Bloom symposium, Holliston in Bloom offered “Post Office for a day!” Two wonderful volunteers assisted our guests in packing their silent auction treasures and then mailing them back to their homes. Even folks who did not need this service were impressed, we were able to help AIB’s auction be more successful as bidders now knew they could get their purchases home.
Saturday belonged to Holliston. A team of tireless town decorators were in action late Friday and Saturday morning - corn bales, corn stalks, pumpkins and mums were spread along the walking tour. Pop-up tents went up, coolers of water and snacks delivered along with chairs went to the tour locations. Volunteers picked up linens, table decorations and food and drinks from food vendors. Goodwill Park and the donated tent, table and chairs was set up for lunch, beautifully decorated, it took my breath away when we walked into the park! Leos and Lions were everywhere! What an amazing group of volunteers! As I drove around to all the tour locations, I saw folks in their yards planting flowers and raking (never too late!). Town businesses had spruced up their outdoor spaces (even without asking!). Two homeowners in town even maned a “pause point in the tour,” showing before and after pictures of their homes.
LUNCH WAS AMAZING!
It was the most beautiful and patriotic experience ever when the 3 coach buses exited onto Green St. to be greeted by our school’s marching band...and then escorted to the park and tent for lunch (I cried!). Our guests from all over the country were waving and clapping and so happy! As they seated themselves at the tables, every table had someone from Holliston to share our stories and make them feel welcome. Our high school chorus awed the over 170 lunch guests with the most amazing (I know, I keep using that word a lot, but everything was amazing!) Star Spangled Banner. With all the controversy with our National Anthem (and it was with our committee too), I am very grateful that our lunch committee fought for this and made it happen. During lunch, the choir continued to entertain and delight our guests. And who knew, Paul Revere and William Dawes showed up riding beautiful horses! Past President of AIB, Marvin Miller later reported that on Friday we visited Paul Revere’s grave and today in Holliston he came to life! After a fantastic lunch (guests had pre-ordered their sandwiches, either lobster roll or veggie wrap made by Superette or Outpost farm turkey sandwich) they were also treated to Pinecrest’s clam chowder, Outpost’s Boston Baked Beans (served in traditional bean pots thanks to a volunteer!), Boston Creme Pie and of course, Cape Cod potato chips!
Next was the walking tour...always the highlight of the America in Bloom symposium. Our team of 16 tour guides, 8 timekeepers and 12 plus presenters wowed our guests! Mark was one of the fantastic presenters, but I could drive around and visit most of the stops. I saw our presenters shinning and proud, presenting the gifts and treasures that Holliston has. Everyone in Holliston should take this tour! Along the way I visited with judges (some ours in the past, some who had never been here), Board members and the founder of America in Bloom said, “This was the best walking tour of any city ever!” A judge said, “ I have been on so many walking tours and the info. provided was “fluffy, un-important information! Everything you presented in Holliston, a town or city can take back to their city to make it better! Best ever! … And the costumes, awesome, what a great addition to the tour!”.So, thank you friends for wearing those hot, wool, period costumes, we really do owe you! And thanks to the Historical Society and Mudville Players for donating them!
But the best part for me were the little stories I heard along the way...one guest found out her beloved pet had died during the tour, so our tour guide took her aside and comforted her until we could pick her up, one person got sick and needed to get back to the hotel, our folks stayed with them and one person had a leg/foot injury and needed a ride to the stops so he would not miss the tour. Sometimes a stop ran out of water and needed more, delivered quickly, everyone working together to make this so successful! And then the clean-up committee arrived and magically put our Goodwill park back to normal, a most important and always under-appreciated group of volunteers, thank you so very much!
Saturday night, many of our committee members were at the awards ceremony, we were greeted again and again and again (so I guess they really meant it!) that we did the best job ever! Mark and I were so proud, along with all the other committee members to hear these remarks. Our Mudville Mayor, Bobby Blair, was presented a special award for his Downtown Marigold Project, (complete with a standing ovation)...not something that happens every year. It was a very special award!
In closing, Mark and I are so very happy, so very thankful to all of you! We are so grateful our town’s support, our elected officials’ support, our town administrator’s support and the DPW’s support! And most importantly our VOLUNTEERS! We could not have done it without all of you!
I know we have left someone out and we apologize in advance, please share this letter of thanks to anyone on your committee and anyone we might have inadvertently omitted.
HOLLISTON ROCKS,
AND SO DO YOU!
With much gratefulness,
Mark Ahronian and Kathy Shore, Co-Chairs, Holliston in Bloom, a self-funded, all-volunteer 501 c (3) organization www.hollistoninbloom.org, “Holliston in Bloom” on Facebook