Tour the tulips, cruise the chrysanthemums, amble through amaryllises and all the other ways to frolic in flowers with the Rotary Club of Chilliwack’s 8th Annual Garden and Lifestyles Tour.
The Rotary Club invites Chilliwack to participate in its self-guided walking garden tour Saturday, June 25, featuring eight flourishing gardens throughout the Chilliwack area.
Julian and Pamela Galbecka are key organizers of the event, and are happily looking forward to the tour.
“It initially started out as a fundraiser, but we also felt we had enough self-sufficient gardens here to show the world. The whole idea is really to just work with our community, show it off and support it,” says Julian.
Proceeds are used as fundraising for the various Rotary activities throughout the community, such as maintaining the Rotary Trail, Rotary pool, and scholarships.
Not all gardens belong to Rotary members, either, Pam adds.
A $20 admission ticket keeps garden tourists busy from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, visiting eight private gardens from Promontory through Rosedale. Lifestyle features of the tour include bird house displays, live music and artisan contributions at select venues.
The ticket is also good for free admission to Minter Gardens the following Sunday.
“This goes on rain or shine, and boy, we keep our fingers crossed for sun!” Pam says.
Linda Phelps was asked to host her garden as part of last year’s tour and believes the turnout was very successful, with upwards of 200 guests.
“It was astounding,” she says.
The tickets also include a tear-off tab, which sight-seers use to cast a vote for their favourite garden, an award known throughout the Club as the People’s Choice. Boxes will be available in every garden to cast a vote, but the Galbeckas urge anyone who is voting to make sure they see all the gardens on the tour before handing in their ballot.
Once tabs are collected and counted, the garden with the most votes receives a plaque to commemorate having the most favourite garden of the tour that year.
“We’re always looking for new gardens,” says Julian, “and anybody interested in submitting their garden for interest for the following year, we’d love to talk to them.”
Maps and tickets of the event can be purchased from a variety of retailers in town, interested parties are invited to check out the full list of ticket sellers at the Rotary Club’s website at www.chilliwackrotarygardentour.ca/