Spring is Here! The Flowers are Blooming! The Nemaha County Flower, Garden and Art Show will showcase a variety of beautiful flowers on Thursday, May 27 at the 4-H Building in Auburn. The 2010 event will be a pleasure for those that love photography, flowers and gardening.  Everyone in the area is invited to enter his or her garden flowers, houseplants or arrangements in the Flower Show.
Entry times allow for entry of exhibits by gardeners in the community that work traditional business hours. On Wednesday evening, May 26, horticulture and arrangement entries may be made from 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. at the 4-H Building and entries will continue from 8:30-10:30 a.m. on Thursday morning, May 27th. Everyone in Southeast Nebraska is eligible to participate and enter exhibits in the Horticulture, Houseplant or Arrangement Divisions.
Judging begins at 8:30 a.m. using the Danish System in which an exhibit is scored according to its own merits based on a standard and not in competition with each other. This system allows for making quality awards to a number of entries instead of always having a first, second and third place. Bob Williamson of Dawson will judge the Flower Show.
Several local businesses will participate by providing a display of their merchandise that would interest gardeners. The vendors will be set up in the 4-H Building at 11:00 until the close of the show and will be available to the public to purchase items on display.
The Community Garden Club is also hosting a Photography Contest along with the Show which is open to all amateur photographers. Categories include: Gardens & Landscapes, Flowers & Foliage, Garden Accents & Oddities, Critters & Creatures, Fruits, and Vegetables & Produce. Deadline for entry is May 22, at the Auburn Senior Center from 10:00-12:00 noon. Several workshops were held with the Arts Council earlier this spring and the Garden Club is looking forward to this new and exciting addition to the traditional Flower Show.
A Salad/Sandwich Luncheon will be available to the public for $7.00 and will be furnished by the Auburn Christian Church Youth Group as a fundraiser for their group for a trip to Youth Conference this summer. They will serve from 11:00 AM-1:00 PM, for those wishing to catch the Garden Show over their lunch that day, in the 4-H Building, with tickets available at the door.
At 12:15 p.m., a program will feature ‘Container Gardens-Designing with Houseplants in the Home’; will offer suggestions for a new wave of using houseplants for decorating during the year in the home. Following the program, door prizes donated by participating businesses will be drawn and awards from the Flower and Photography Show will be announced. A special award, The Outstanding Exhibit for 2010 Award, will be awarded by the Auburn Community Garden Club at the conclusion of the awards for the outstanding exhibit at the Flower Show.
The Flower and Garden Show will remain open to public for viewing and close at 3:30 PM when all entries are released. The Nemaha County Show is currently sponsored by the Auburn Community Garden Club, with the tradition previously being supported by the FCE Clubs of Nemaha County for 50+ years.
For a schedule of events for the day or to receive a list of rules and entries for the Flower and Art Show, stop by the UNL Extension Office-Nemaha County in the lower level of the Courthouse in Auburn, or contact Carin Gerdes, at 402-274-5740.