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12 September 2018
Hermanus celebrates its flower power Come do
E
veryone is invited to join the Hermanus Botanical Society at the annual Hermanus Flower Festival in the Fernkloof Nature Reserve gardens to celebrate our natural heritage over the Heritage Day long weekend from Friday 21 to Monday 24 September.
interesting scheduled talks, presentations and workshops in the Market Hub on topics related to managing water and celebrating the bounty of our natural environment. Consult the programme on the website, www.fernkloof.org.za to make sure you don’t miss out.
The theme this year is Watching Water in recognition of the need to understand how precious our water is and how it can best be managed and conserved.
Festivalgoers will also be able to buy bunches of cut fynbos flowers and other environmental treasures in the Market Hub while enjoying the many exhibits related to this year’s theme. Included will be a display in the EcoTent of the water-saving products and grey-water systems that are available to us to save water and pay less for what we need.
The Festival is open to the public from 09:00 – 17:00 each day. For only these 4 of the 365 days in the year, there will be an entrance fee to Fernkloof Nature Reserve: R25 for adults, R10 for Senior citizens on Friday 21 September, and children under 12 or in school uniform enter free. The Hermanus Botanical Society is raising funds this year for the maintenance and repair of some of the most popular and well-used paths in Fernkloof Nature Reserve for the safety and enjoyment of all visitors. This Nature Reserve, located on the doorstep of Hermanus, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Overberg region. It is well known for its amazing biodiversity where 21%
of plants of the Cape Floristic region can be found. Some 60 km of hiking paths give visitors an oppor-tunity to explore the naturally oc-curring flora and fauna while enjoy-ing spectacular panoramic views across Walker Bay. Spring is a parti-cularly rewarding time of the year when the fynbos is awash with new, colourful blooms. Flower Festival visitors will be able to enjoy the wonderful fynbos arrangements in the Fernkloof hall and the display of some 400 identified and named specimens that are in flower in spring. Members of the Hermanus Botanical Society will be on hand to guide visitors through the display and answer questions. In addition to information boards and photographs in keeping with the Watching Water theme, there will
Exciting creative activities for children will be housed in the Craft Corner in the amphitheatre gardens. Here the younger visitors to the Flower Festival will have the chance to make things out of natural and recycled material to take home with them. There will be a small fee for participating to cover some of the materials used. Children will also have the opportunity to meet some important visitors on Sunday 23 and Monday 24 September – the raptors and
owls from Eagle Encounters. They will be able to interact with these special creatures and learn all about them in the Craft Corner in the amphitheatre gardens. Spring is a time to rejuvenate our gardens with the natural fynbos that thrives in our climate. Fernkloof Indigenous Nursery will have a sale with 20% off all plants from over 150 species to choose from. These are unbeatable prices for your Spring garden. You can also just relax with a cup of tea or coffee and delicious homemade cakes or a light lunch with a glass of wine. Take a break on Friday morning from 09:00 – 12:00 and enjoy the special Fynbos Friday Treats – R40 for a hot beverage and choice of something tasty to go with it. Before you leave, take a ticket in the Raffle with a chance to win one of many amazing prizes. There will be a special Family Challenge testing your environmental knowledge to celebrate Heritage Day on Monday 24 September. Keep an eye on the website www.fernkloof.org.za for all the details or follow the Hermanus Botanical Society on Facebook.
the Funky!
Dust off your mountain bike, grab you trail running shoes out of the cupboard and load the family into the car – it’s time to make your way to the funkiest festival in the Overberg! The Funky Fynbos Festival, which kicks off on Friday afternoon 21 September and runs until Sunday 23 September, will be hosted at two iconic venues in the Gansbaai area. The first is the Lomond Wine Estate where all the sporting events can be found, including MTB and trail running, a biathlon, canoe race and fishing competition. Wine tasting, craft beer, artisan stalls and the Gansbaai Academia Marimba band can also be enjoyed among the vineyards and around the Lomond dam. The second venue is the Gansbaai Harbour, where you will find the Funky Fynbos Market, live music performances, fun activities for the kids and much more. Bring the whole family for two fun-filled days! You’ll find all the details at funkyfynbos.co.za. For enquiries, contact Caron Lee at funkyfynbosfestival@gmail.com or Glenda Kitley at glenda@gansbaaitourism.com
