Mentor’s Wildwood Garden Club crafting Christmas spirit ahead of annual holiday boutique – News-Herald

2022-09-24 00:54:01 By : Ms. mandy shi

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In the months leading up to Christmas, anyone who glimpses the attic of Mentor’s Wildwood Cultural Center might think the space more closely resembles Santa’s workshop than part of a historical estate.

Beginning in late October, members of the Wildwood Garden Club start their yearly endeavor to create holiday wreaths, Christmas tree ornaments and other festive decorations to be sold at the annual Wildwood Holiday Craft Show.

The garden club originally began in the fall of 1984 with just five members, but its ranks quickly grew. Today, the club has close to 50 members and remains true to its mission of planting and maintaining the garden beds at Wildwood, including those near the front of the mansion, the gazebo area and memorial garden.

During the late fall and winter, members focus on crafting unique holiday decor for the show, which is the club’s main revenue-raising event. According to Garden Club President Kathy Whan-Marko, the proceeds that the garden club receives from the show enable them to gift other organizations that support conservation and gardening.

Some of the organizations the club donates to are Auburn Career Center, Cleveland Botanical Gardens and Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve.

This year’s craft show will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Dec. 5, and feature various artisans and vendors spread out over 20 different rooms within the cultural center, located at 7645 Little Mountain Road in Mentor. Admission to the show is $2 for visitors older than12.

Several members of the garden club’s Christmas Boutique Committee explained that they craft decorations primarily from donated items that they collect and store throughout the year. The only items they have to purchase are usually crafting supplies and some fresh greens.

Once all the supplies have been collected, the Christmas crafting crew sets up shop in the Wildwood mansion’s attic in late October and gets to work. Wendy Loomis, chairwoman of the boutique committee, explained that members will often devote many hours perfecting each wreath or decoration.

“We don’t just have craftswomen up there — we have artists,” Loomis said. “We all are just putting our own little swing and our own style on everything. We do put a lot of time into every single one of them.”

Loomis said that what makes the garden club’s holiday creations appealing is that they are handcrafted and one-of-a-kind.

“There are no two alike,” she said. “It makes it so special, because you’re not going to see that same wreath or same arrangement in somebody else’s house or on somebody else’s dinner table.”

Right after Thanksgiving, the group traditionally turns their attention to creating arrangements out of fresh greens. Loomis and fellow committee member Cindi Baker agreed that they usually bring in a range of greenery — filling the attic with the scents of cedar, holly, boxwood and baby’s breath.

“When you walk into that place in the morning, it smells wonderful,” Loomis said. “It just smells like you’re walking through a forest after a rain. And I always say to myself, for just a moment, I believe Christmas lives right here at Wildwood.”

Linda Wintersteller, recreation coordinator for Wildwood Cultural Center, explained that in years past, the craft show has attracted over 1,000 people who come to shop, peruse local vendors or just enjoy the mansion in all of its holiday splendor.

Wintersteller said that the annual event is so popular, the vendor slots usually fill up over the summer — and while they had a few less vendor slots open for the 2021 show to ensure they could be spaced out, there will still be plenty of booths to visit.

“We have 45 other vendors on four floors — every room including the ballroom and craft room,” Wintersteller said. “And they’re juried, so they’re selected. What we’re looking for is everything has to be handmade.”

“We have vendors making anything from towels, to teas, to resin items, and stones and jewelry,” she added.

Members of the Wildwood Garden Club encouraged anyone who is interested in getting some handmade items, or just needs a little pick-me-up dose of Christmas spirit, to come visit the Wildwood mansion during the winter craft show.

“Wildwood does such a wonderful job of decorating the inside and the outside of the house — it is something to see,” Loomis said. “It takes your breath away when you’re coming up here and you see everything lit, and the wreaths in the window, and all the people so excited to be here.”

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