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Warm weather means Petunia Pandemonium!

We locals might take it for granted, but it’s Petunia Pandemonium time again in the city of Marquette.

For 30 years now, the Marquette Beautification and Restoration Committee Inc. has sponsored the event during which some 23,000 colorful blossoms of all sorts will be planted along South Front Street, making for a strikingly beautiful entryway into this fair city.

Extra hands are always welcome to join in the planting. Organizers say at least 500 volunteers are needed.

Anyone who wishes to help can just show up at 10 a.m. Saturday when the planting will start on the west side of U.S. 41 South between Furnace and Hampton streets. With safety at the forefront, the traffic lane closest to the flower beds will be closed during the work.

If enough hands show up, the planting should take about an hour. Then it’s time for a picnic to celebrate the beautiful effort, with a community-style on the lawn in front of McCabe Fine Flooring just south of the Beef-A-Roo restaurant.

The picnic will start at 11:30 a.m., with food to be provided by Huron Mountain Bread Company, Third Street Bagel, Border Grill, Vango’s Pizza & Cocktail Lounge, the Holiday Inn and Starbucks. Beef-A-Roo will provide complimentary ice cream cones to volunteers during the planting.

Volunteers should bring a trowel, wear old clothes and shoes, and wear hats, sunscreen and gloves if desired. Safety vests will be provided to the volunteers and extra trowels will be available.

For years, flowers were provided by Meister’s and now the blooms are provided by Nagelkirk, based in Harvey. The annual cost of the project is approximately $17,500, which includes two other gardens in the city planted and maintained by the committee.

The flower beds have been prepared for planting so they should be easily dug. At each flower bed there will be plants and instructions will be available. The flowers should be planted so the soil is at the same level with the top of the root ball. Empty plastic containers, which will be recycled, should be brought to the picnic as well. Restrooms and a hand-washing station will be available.

For those who can’t make it Saturday, donations to MBRC are always welcome. Checks, made payable to MBRC, can be mailed to P.O. Box 334, Marquette, MI 49855. For further information, call Barb Kelly, Petunia Pandemonium chairwoman, at 906-225-5077.

Through the years, Petunia Pandemonium has received many awards, including a Hometown Pride Award from Midwest Living Magazine and awards from Keep Michigan Beautiful Inc. The MBRC is an Adopt-A-Park designee and maintains the .8-mile stretch where the flowers are planted. The grass, including areas around the roundabout, are mowed weekly and maintained by the committee. The flowers are mulched, fertilized, weeded and deadheaded.

In other words, Petunia Pandemonium is more than just a day, it’s a season-long effort to bring beauty to the whole community, part of year-round efforts by this amazing, hard-working committee.

We congratulate the Marquette Beautification and Restoration Committee Inc. on its 40th anniversary this year and thank its members for all they do to make this area shine.

If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look around Marquette, indeed.

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