ALLEGANY, N.Y. — For the past few years, downtown Allegany has blossomed with color and fragrance every spring and summer, thanks to the efforts of volunteers with the Enchanted Mountain Garden Club.
Funds needed for the flower beds located in the community have been raised the past two years from the Allegany Garden Festival, said Joan Pingatore, publicity chairman for the club.
The third annual Allegany Garden Festival, slated to be held 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 2, will be held at the Robert H. Livingston Community Center and Firemen’s Park, 188 W. Main St.
The event will have free admission and feature the wares, crafts and artwork of more than 40 vendors from both New York state and Pennsylvania. Organizers said there will also be live music, food, raffles and children’s activities in Firemen’s Park. A chicken barbecue will be provided by the Allegany Fire Department. In addition, the club will raffle off artistically painted chairs.
“We’ll have everything gardening related,” Pingatore said of the festival. “We’ll also have hunting and fishing equipment, but it’s exclusively more garden related — it’s not like a home show where they have everything.”
Pingatore said the club charges a nominal fee for the vendors to set up, but all funds benefit the organization and its plantings in the downtown area. She added the club got “a little bit of grant money” to help with costs.
Pingatore said the nonprofit club comprises women from various backgrounds who put their skill sets together to contribute ideas to beautify the streetscape of Allegany.
“They’ve not only designed flower beds and funded purchases of flowers and planters, they also water, trim, weed and feed them as well,” Pingatore said of the flower beds. “The downtown (area) is now sprouting full of life and color.”
Group members said this has been done to provide a better quality of life in the community and build on local assets.
Pingatore said the club has written grants for the ongoing purchases of new flowers each year. She said awarded grants have helped fund the new exterior lighting of the Allegany Library and helped purchase a larger watering system for all the gardens.
“This organization is not just a garden club, it is blossoming into a civic minded group intent on facilitating positive change for the community,” she said.
The group also sponsors speakers once a month with professional information on garden, health, food and nature topics. The public is invited to listen to the speakers at 7 p.m on the fourth Monday of each month at Little Bona’s School in Allegany.
Pingatore said the club also hopes to work with community officials and help wherever possible to make several of their visions become realities.
She said some of their community visions include a walkable community with vibrant businesses; colorful flower beds as far as the eye can see along the streetscape; the boat launch landscaped with native plants; bike paths possibly connecting to the Allegany/Olean River Trail; outdoor seating for more restaurants; an outdoor mural or wall of interest to hide unsightly electrical wiring in areas; a dog park; and an updated pavilion/park of some design for outdoor music.
For more information on the festival or the club, visit the website alleganygardenclub.com or follow them on Facebook at Enchanted Mountain Garden Club.
