Westlake Rain & Garden Show is Saturday

It’ almost here. Spring.

With this weekend’s clocks “springing ahead,” it’s a sure thing that the growing season is right around the corner.

The city of Westlake is getting residents and visitors excited with the second annual Westlake Rain & Garden Show March 9 at the Westlake Recreation Center.

The free event, which runs from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., is sponsored by the city of Westlake and the Westlake Watershed Group.

The show is part of the city’s “Go Green” initiative.

“We’ve been doing (the Go Green Program) for about eight years,” Westlake engineering director Robert P. Kelly, P.E., said. “We’re trying to get people to go green, consider green gardening.

Kelly said the program started with education on stormwater runoff and "going green" on the outside of one’s house.

“We wanted people going more environmentally green on the outside, realizing what goes into ponds and lakes,” Kelly said. “And show people what more you can do to be environmentally friendly.”

The even will feature plenty of kids crafts, water samplings and workshops.

“This is our second year; hopefully next year we can get a little bigger,” Kelly added.

The event is free and open to the public and features educational seminars, live demonstrations, workshops, free kids crafts, vendors, free parking, art show (K-5) attendees vote, drinking water sampling contest and a raffle.

Visitors can meet vendors, get great ideas and hear from experts. Participating vendors include Cahoon Nursery, Canterbury Creek Gardens, Cuyahoga County Board of Health / Enviroscape, Dean’s Greenhouse, Educator’s Market and Toy
Good Nature Organic Lawncare, Lake Erie Allegheny Partnership / Cleveland Museum Natural History Ohio Prairie Nursery, Purely Hydroponics, Rain Barrels N More, Symbiosys / North Bay Landscape and Design, Westlake City Schools
Westlake Garden Club and Westlake in Bloom.

Workshop presentations:

• 10:30 a.m. Organic Vegetable Gardening
• 11 a.m. Rain Gardening— “A Backyard Guide to Rain Gardens”
• 11:45 a.m. Organic Lawncare
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• 2:30 p.m. Rain Barrels & Composting— “Make your own water & dirt.”
• 1:30 p.m. Dean’s Annual Moss Basket Clinic