FGC’s Greens Sale is a time of exciting creative energy. It is FGC’s largest fundraiser. Without it, we could not fund our core civic projects and scholarships. To be ready, we need everyone who is able to help make the hundreds of uniquely-beautiful products that we are known for – wreaths embellished with locally cut greens and natural elements, outdoor baskets of evergreens, pinecones and berries, hand-decorated door swags made of Noble fir, and evergreen-forward centerpieces and arrangements.
This year we will continue to have a two-part sale: a pre-sale and an in-person sale. Here is an overview.
Presale
A presale team
Chaired by Sally Vetstein and Kathy Hoogeboom, the presale is vital to the success of our sale. Members work in Sally’s garage to make the wreaths that we will offer. We offer 6 different wreath designs. Team leaders will give instructions and work alongside new members. You will be using hot glue to place extra evergreens, pinecones and other decorative elements onto the wreaths.
In addition to the pre-sale, FGC holds a large in-person sale of unique hand-crafted wreaths, swags, outdoor baskets and indoor arrangements. Shannon Fitzpatrick chairs the in-person sale.
Its called a Greens Sale because we use a variety of evergreens in our designs. We cut evergreens – “greens” – from our own yards and certain public spaces with permission. If you have never cut evergreens for this sale, be sure to go to the group greens cutting that usually takes place the Friday before Thanksgiving. Then, look in your own yard or a friend’s to see what greens you could contribute. Cut greens are kept in buckets of water in garages or other protected locations until the Tuesday before the sale. Pachysandra should be submerged entirely. This process of storing the greens in water is called “conditioning.” It will help to keep the greens fresher longer.
We also use a lot of Winterberries. Those do not last long once cut, so those are cut between Sunday and Tuesday before the sale.
On the Tuesday before the sale, members bring their greens to the Cushing Maintenance Building. Drop-off between 8:30 am – 4pm on Tuesday.
Between Tuesday morning and Thursday morning, members work at the Cushing Building to make outdoor baskets, centerpieces, swags, and many more wreaths.
FGC members making Greens Sale products
There is no sign-up sheet. Come to as many work sessions as you can. We open the building at 8:30am Tuesday – Thursday. We provide coffee, tea and water, and snacks. Bring your own lunch if you are staying through lunch. We stop around 3:30 and close the door at 4pm. You do not need to be there all the time!
You can choose which type of product you want to start with. Experienced members will teach you how to make them and guide you until you feel comfortable on your own. Once you have mastered one type of product, feel free to try out another. Most of our products are unique, but you may wish initially to follow a sample made by someone else. 
What to bring:
-
- gardening scissors and/or small pruners to use for cutting pieces of evergreen – LABEL with your name.
- a lazy susan when working on centerpieces – also LABEL
- comfortable shoes
- apron
- disposable gloves if you prefer to work in them
- Questions? Contact Shannon Fitzpatrick at the phone and email address listed in our yearbook. For presale questions, contact Sally Vetstein.
You must be logged in to post a comment.