EVENT DESIGN & LIVING
GREEN
FARGO Fargo’s Most beautiful gardens. By Meagan Pittelko
The time has come again for Fargo’s annual Garden Tour. From professionally landscaped yards to immaculate personal gardens, the tour features a number of gardens in the FM Area.
T
he Garden Tour is a two-day event spanning eight north Fargo gardens, six south Fargo gardens and one bonus garden in West Fargo. The tour begins Wednesday, July 16 and ends Thursday, July 17, with open hours from 1:30 to 7:30 p.m. each day.
The Greek word ‘soroptimist,’ translated, means ‘the best for women.’
The tour is a major fundraiser for the local Soroptimist Club.
D E S I G N & L I V I N G • J U N E 2 014
According to McAllen, the rest of the tour committee consists of Carol Staiger, Alice MarxKuehn and Mariam Conlin.
“It is very heartwarming each year to have these two days to showcase the talents of the people in our community,” McAllen said. “The homeowners are very willing to support this tour as it is well recognized and benefits good causes.”
“The Greek word ‘soroptimist,’ translated, means ‘the best for women,’” said current chairperson Rachel McAllen. “With funds raised from the 2014 tour, the Community Service Committee of the Fargo Soroptimist group will research and provide names of organizations they feel would be good candidates to receive the funds.” In 2013, funds from the Garden Tour helped support Fraser Limited, Rape and Abuse Crisis Center, Nurse-Family Partnership Program,
22
Girl Scouts, Sister’s Path, Jeremiah Project and Trollwood Performing Arts School.
“It is truly a team effort,” McAllen said. “We are also very grateful for the gardeners who so graciously open their gardens for the tour. The people who attend are great to visit with. Without these two groups, we could not have a tour.”
Before the tour begins, though, the committee works tirelessly on the logistics. Right after the current tour finishes, the committee typically begins scouting prospective gardens for the next tour cycle. Once they have a large number of yards to pick from, the committee selects top picks and extends invitations to the gardeners. When the gardens are secured, tickets are printed, the tour route is determined and the committee gears up for the day of the tour itself.