October 9, 2018
At the September 2017 board meeting of LO’s Georgian Lakelands Chapter, I suggested holding our annual chapter barbecue at Sheridan Nurseries. We then incorporated the event with the annual Trial Gardens Open House and invited other chapters and landscapers to attend.

Despite a slow sign up; we realized the summer vacation period was slowing things down a little, enthusiasm was very high as we neared the big day. At the last minute there was a lot of renewed interest from our guest base and things were looking very good for our Summerfest event scheduled for Aug. 23.

The event started at 3 p.m. and we had a lot of early arrivals — all eager to take part in the hay wagon farm tours and everyone was enjoying the selection of beers served by our local Elora breweries. A couple of games kept people occupied while they socialized until the food was served at 6 p.m. The DJ kept everyone happy with a fantastic selection of music; a few even dared to get on the dance floor!

We were somewhat disappointed in the turn out; only 54 instead of the 75 plus we were expecting, but a major rain event earlier in the week had meant most landscapers had already lost two full days work, so they were well-behind for the week. Despite this, a good time was had by all and a few participants of the trial garden open house managed to make it too, despite it being a very long day for them.

— Chris Mason, director, Georgian Lakelands Chapter