The Boothbay Region Garden Club /Garden Therapy team met at St. Andrews Village this month to assist residents in carrying out the age old Halloween tradition of creating jack-o-lanterns. The idea of hollowing out vegetables and carving a scary face through which candlelight would shine to ward off evil spirits is thought to have originated in Ireland. The tradition was carried to America where the native pumpkin easily overtook the early use of turnips, potatoes and rutabagas as the plump but firm fruit of choice for carving.

While no pumpkins fell to the carving knife during this activity, the residents at St. Andrews were keen to create faces on some 30 pumpkins with colorful shapes and googly eyes in celebration of the rich and tradition filled holiday that marks the fall season. While the unique and quirky faces of the pumpkins might not be able to scare off an evil spirit, their lively presence throughout the Gregory Wing certainly must serve to lift the spirits of our friends and neighbors who make their home at St. Andrews Village.

Decorating pumpkins with the residents during the month of October has become a bit of a tradition for the Garden Therapy team which was joined by several additional Garden Club members this year. The team welcomes extra help which allows them to devote more time to each individual participant.

The Boothbay Region Garden Club offers many opportunities to engage with and give back to the community, build friendships, educate oneself about the conservation of our resources and learn to appreciate the beauty of our natural environment. Prospective members are always welcome. Find more information at http://www.boothbayregiongardenclub.org/. The Boothbay Region Garden Club is affiliated with NGC (National Garden Clubs Inc.) and is a member of the GCFM (Garden Club Federation of Maine).