Event offers hundreds of silent auction items, plants, crafts and more
By, Suzanne Misciagna, Correspondent, UnionvilleTimes.com
A sampling of items available at last year's Art & Garden Show at Pocopson Elementary School.
POCOPSON –April showers often bring May flowers, but at Pocopson Elementary, April signals one of the most important fundraisers for the school – Pocopson’s Art and Garden Spring Celebration.
Each year, students, teachers, and parents prepare for a fun-filled day to celebrate spring while raising money for Pocopson Elementary School in the Unionville Chadds-Ford School District. This year’s Art and Garden fundraiser will be held rain or shine on Saturday, April 21 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Pocopson Elementary School, 1105 Pocopson Road, in West Chester.
“Pocopson’s Art and Garden celebration is a family focused event with something for everyone,” says Darragh Young, Art and Garden chairperson.
For the first time ever, this year’s Art and Garden event kicks off with a special Family Trail Run beginning at 9:30 a.m. The family run offers kids and their parents the option of a 1/3 mile run circling the school or a more challenging one mile run along the school’s nature trail. Registration is available on the day of the event or in advance by logging onto pes.ucfsd.org and clicking on the Art and Garden link.
Following the run, Pocopson’s gymnasium will be filled with crafts of all kinds from experienced, local crafters to students showcasing their one-of-a-kind works of art.
In addition to crafts, approximately 200 silent auction items, valued at $20,000, were donated from local merchants and artists and will be available for bidding. “The selection of silent auction items this year is fantastic,” says Young. “The items we’ve added this year have been updated in terms of both quantity and quality.”
Items up for bidding run the gamut from themed gift baskets, to golfing packages, and local museum tickets. Some of the most popular auction items predicted for this year include a Washington, D.C. VIP tour of the Capitol Building, Senate and House gallery passes, reservations to the Senator’s Only Dining Room and more; Four one day Park Hopper Passes to Disney World; a gift certificate for a private four-course dinner party for 20 people at the Inn Keeper’s Kitchen at Dilworthtown Inn; and a one week beach rental in Avalon, New Jersey.
The Art and Garden event would not be complete without an extensive selection of plants for sale. “Art and Garden offers some of the most high quality, hardy plants you can buy,” adds Young. Beautiful flowers, hanging baskets, herbs, flower, and vegetable packets will be available for sale just in time for Mother’s Day.
While parents are busy shopping, kids can purchase a wristband for $5 giving them unlimited access to games and an assortment of “make and take” crafts. There will also be obstacle courses, potato sack races, and tug of war scheduled throughout the day.
According to Young, it takes anywhere from 40 to 60 volunteers on hand that day to make the family-focused event happen.
Pocopson’s own Principal, Dr. Andrew McLaughlin, will be helping out too by roasting hot dogs and helping to serve pizza, ice cream and baked goods which will be available for sale.
All proceeds from Art and Garden go directly to the Pocopson Elementary School PTO. These funds are used to expand and enrich the educational opportunities of students through assemblies, before and after school enrichment programs such as foreign language classes and athletic activities, family social events, classroom supplements, and much more. Pocopson’s PTO also supports the ‘Kind Fund’ which supports economically disadvantaged children within the school.
For more information on Pocopson’s Art and Garden Celebration, including race registration information, and a complete listing of silent auction items, visit pes.ucfsd.org and click on the Art and Garden link.
