Host Janet Michael sits down with Melanie Mullinax, Communications and Event Manager at Blandy Experimental Farm, to get all the details on the 36th Annual Garden Fair — one of the Shenandoah Valley's most beloved Mother's Day weekend traditions.

Event Details

• 📅 May 9th & 10th, 2025
• ⏰ 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM both days
• 📍 Blandy Experimental Farm / State Arboretum of Virginia
• 🎟️ Tickets: $12/car online | $20/car at the gate
• 🌧️ Rain or shine

Buy Tickets: https://blandy.virginia.edu/garden-fair

Members & Volunteers Preview Night

- Friday, May 8th | 5:00 – 7:30 PM

• Open to Blandy members and volunteers only (~250 tickets)
• Includes a charcuterie box + glass of wine or beer
• First access to all vendors before the weekend crowds
• Food & drink: Tom's Traveling Coffee, Bruster's Ice Cream (preview night only)

What to Expect

• 63 vendors including plants, native species, gifts, home décor, and garden supplies
• Blandy-grown plants nurtured by Assistant Curator Carrie Whitacre (started in February!)
• Highlighted vendors: Digging Daylilies, Sherry's Garden Decorations, Medina Mercantile, Temalle (Ghanaian baskets), Wild Birds Unlimited
• Environmental nonprofit booths with info on local conservation
• Kids' Scavenger Hunt — collect stamps from nonprofit booths, win a marigold grown at Blandy
• Arboretum Tours: Saturday & Sunday at 1:00 PM, led by Director David Carr and Curator T'ai Roulston
• Live music: 10:30 AM – 3:30 PM both days
• Beer and wine available on-site
• Picnic tables for resting and enjoying food/music

Food Vendors

• Bam Bam's Barbecue
• Sara Festivals
• The Laughing Crab (Chesapeake Bay crab cakes)
• Hot Mama's Biscuits (new this year)
• Tom's Traveling Coffee
• Burg Charcuterie (Fredericksburg area)

Pro Tips

• Bring your own wagon or cart — Blandy's ~100 Radio Flyer wagons go fast
• Your own wagon means you can take it to the parking lot (Blandy wagons must stay on-site)
• Consider arriving around noon: eat, listen to music, take the 1 PM arboretum tour, then shop
• Grab a program at the entrance — it includes a vendor map with a key

Volunteer Opportunities Blandy needs 70–100 volunteers for setup, the event itself, and teardown. Volunteers receive free admission and an invitation to Preview Night.

• Sign up here

Connect with Blandy 🌐 blandy.virginia.edu