Beautification committee adds extra day for 14th Annual Garden Sale

Keeping Black Mountain beautiful is much more than a full-time job. The task requires constant effort by more than 60 volunteers.

Once a year, the men and women of the Black Mountain Beautification Committee take time off of their aesthetically pleasing endeavors to raise money to support their efforts. They do so to support the nonprofit’s biggest fundraiser, the Black Mountain Garden Sale, which returns to the Monte Vista Hotel for its 14th year on Friday, May 17 and Saturday, May 18.

The event, which is organized by committee secretary Libba Fairleigh and features 22 vendors from the area, supports the Seed Money Campaign. The initiative funds projects that exemplify the organization's mission to “honor the natural beauty of the surrounding mountains while seeking to reflect the beauty on the streets and in the lives of citizens.”

"We added an extra day to the Garden Sale this year," said beautification committee member Rhonda Reedy. "Adding Friday afternoon to the sale gives vendors time to come get set up without having to rush on Saturday morning, and it gives everyone more time to shop."

Businesses like Appalachian Creek, Appeldoorn Landscape Nursery, Barry Farms, J & B Herb Farms, Men's Garden Club of Asheville and others will return to offer plant materials and garden accessories, while K.W. Homestead and Kiwi Krafter Unique Furniture will join the event for the first year. 

"All of our members are involved in this event every year," Reedy said of the Garden Sale, which first took place in 2005. "Members do everything from putting up posters before the sale to helping vendors load up when it's over."

Soft drinks, wine and beer will be available in the Monte Vista, which has hosted the fundraiser since 2012. On Saturday, the Clothes Line Sale will return for its fifth year. 

"The Clothes Line Sale offers items and services donated mostly by our members," Reedy said. "Those items are represented by posters on a clothes line and people can buy them. It's everything from two hours of weeding in your garden to homemade desserts to hand-tied trout flies."

Not only does the sale support the committee's Seed Money Campaign, the money it raises supports various other beautification projects in the community, Reedy said. 

"We maintain Town Square, so all of the plantings, weeding and mulching is done by us," she said. "We take care of all of the planters around town. We plant those flowers every spring and new flowers are added throughout the year, so they are seasonal."

Beautification committee volunteers donate thousands of hours of work on community gardens and holiday decorations each year. 

"We're constantly looking for ways to keep the town looking nice," Reedy said. "The Garden Sale is a chance for people to come out and support the committee while supporting our local vendors."