Flower Show Brightens Day in O.C.

By Maddy Vitale Ava Patterson, 7, of Medford, donned her purple sunglasses and excitedly beelined for a floral arrangement at the Ocean City Flower Show at the Music Pier on Saturday. Well, she wasn’t particularly too concerned about the type of flower. “They have to be purple,” Ava’s mom, Angie Patterson, said with a chuckle about her daughter’s favorite color. Aside from that, Ava, and her older sister, Kailey, 9, seemed pleased marveling over brightly hued floral baskets, bouquets, centerpieces and even wreaths. Even their father, Mike Patterson, seemed pleased. “There is so much to see,” he said. Mike Patterson, of Medford, and his wife Angie, with their daughters Kailey, 9, (left) and Ava, 7, view the Thanksgiving displays. The family, who has a vacation home in Ocean City, said they make it a point to get to the show every year. Roses, daisies, orchids and just about every other flower imaginable graced the tables at the show, now in its 47th year. It continues Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The creations were judged by members of the Flower Show subcommittee. There was a wide range of categories and entries from expert to novice and adults to children, all taking part in the friendly floral contests. Flower show organizers said children's entries were spectacular. This year’s theme, “Celebrating the Holidays,” created a lot of interest from the attendees. The Garden Club of Ocean City stages the Flower Show for the city, which is really a city event. “This year everyone really loves the theme of celebrating the holidays. People are happy. It makes you think about wonderful times on the holidays,” said Kathy Wheatcroft, co-chair with Kay Reilly, of the Flower Show subcommittee. “I think we have a good selection of holidays. We wanted to make it easily adaptable to flowers.” Thanksgiving arrangements created the centerpiece of the show, which included an eye-catching statue of a woman pilgrim. Orange and yellow flowers and other fall foliage colors set the tone for the decorated tables, which included orange tablecloths. Contestants competed in novice to expert categories. Friends from Lehigh Valley, Pa., Kay Fritz, Denice Van Driesen and Marie Hahn, fell in love with a large display of orchids at the back of the Music Pier. In fact, the trio seemed to like many of the flowers at the show. “I just love the arrangements,” Fritz said. “It is so well done. For such a small area, they make it just right,” Hahn said. Reilly noted that the event wouldn’t be possible without all of the help from the volunteers and members of the Garden Club. She added, “It really is a beautiful show.” Friends Tina Pollakis, left, of Glendora, N.J., and Colleen Pennock, of Audubon, N.J., browse the displays.