by Benjamin St. George
5/22/2017

On this refreshingly cool Saturday morning, the Holliston Garden Club laid their plants out for sale on the lawn outside the Congregational Church and other locals unfolded their tables and set up a small flea market in Blair Square to kick off Springfest 2017.

The Holliston Garden Club ran their annual plant sale from 9-1, showcasing the fruitful turnout of their members’ gardens. Each club member brought in plants ranging from petunias, geraniums, and marigolds to zucchini, tomatoes, and rhubarb.

“When I joined, there wasn’t even a website!” former club President Tony Lulek joked. The club creates an environment where “everybody loves everybody”, leading to great turnouts like this year’s plant sale and continuous growth and excitement in the club.

Members Melissa Beers and Lee Guertin, in a fleeting moment before a line of customers formed, assured me that this tradition has been going for over thirty years and will continue to be something to look forward to on the Saturday after Mother’s Day.

The Flea Market was filled with nostalgia as two local moms were relieved to get their old supplies, crafts, toys and more out of the house since both have children now in college.

Pam Rowles, running her own table, teased that this event was needed to “get rid of what you kids leave behind”. Not wrong, and fitting as a cluster of young boys swarmed the nerf gun bin, surely adding to their parent’s own future flea market items. Lynne Bajdek, who ran another table, confirmed this sentiment by describing the process as a “decluttering” as more young kids approached her stand.

Both of these events combined the traditions of spring cleaning and gardening with the community spirit of sharing. Whether it be homegrown flowers or a children’s book from ten years ago, little bits of home were being passed on in downtown Holliston.