Here's Big Sam and his Funky Nation band, lots of fun and shame on those party poopers who complain that the music's too loud! Get a life!
I enjoyed the entertainment at this year's show a whole lot. But this year I also enjoyed the lectures and demonstrations more than ever. They're all fairly short, so you don't feel you're missing anything by sitting there. I popped in to Karl Gercens' talk on container gardening. Karl works at Longwood and he brought a collection of containers that would have you drooling.
He explained the ins and outs of terra cotta, plastic, wood, metal and stone planters, debunked the idea that you need to put rocks in the bottom of your pots for drainage - suggesting you put old, upside down plastic pots in there and then only fill the top 12 inches or so of the container with soil-less mix, thus finding somewhere to store unwanted pots and saving on the mix. Most plants only grow roots down about a foot anyway, he says.
I went to a demonstration of how to make interesting flower arrangements out of just about anything that is or once was growing, compliments of Priscilla of "Flowers by Priscilla" in Paoli. I learned how to make fresh lavender pasta from Chef Roberta Adamo of Penne Restaurant over by Penn. (It looked so easy when she did it).
There are six more culinary demonstrations and 18 lectures scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. Take advantage. It's part of why you're paying so much to get in!
And here's something nice. After you've raced from lecture to demonstration to the exhibits and competitive classes, take a break. Listen to Big Sam and the other musicians and get yourself a glass of wine. After 5 p.m. and Sunday afternoon you can buy yourself a drink on the show floor.
How very grown up.
