Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring

Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring

Charles Romans

The Ashland Beacon

Imel’s Greenhouse on State Route 1 in Greenup will be hosting an event to kickstart the season and help everyone get ready for when warmer temperatures finally arrive. The event will be held on February 28 and will feature a day of seminars and local vendors. Greenhouse owner Kenny Imel said that it is another way to get the community involved and give back to their loyal customers who have supported them for the last 50 years.

“This will be the first year we have had this particular event,” Imel said. “And it is going to kick off our fiftieth year at the greenhouse.”

Imel said the event is planned as a way to answer the questions that people have asked throughout the years. “People will get to come and go as they please and visit the vendors,” Imel said. “And we will have seminars throughout the day.” Those seminars include the importance of pollinators, landscaping, raised garden beds, caring for grass, and when to and when not to prune.

Imel and his son, Justin Imel, will lead most of the seminars, he said, and people who choose to attend can feel free to ask whatever questions they need answered and benefit from a half-century of experience in the field. Imel said the vendors are also a wealth of information, especially the landscaping specialists who will be at the event. There may even be other individuals present who have not yet confirmed, but updates are regularly posted on the greenhouse’s Facebook page.

“It’s not going to be as big a show as the Winter Market,” Imel said. “But it is going to be a good day of events to bring the community together.”

The goal is to bring everyone together at the greenhouse, Imel said. Because of this, vendors were allowed to set up for free, and admission will be free as well. “The only thing anyone will have to pay for is if they buy something from the vendors or buy lunch,” Imel said.

“We just felt like this would be a good way to kick off the spring season and our 50-year anniversary,” Imel said. “We have been wanting to do this for a while because people have a lot of questions. But if you don’t get to come to the event, we are still happy to answer any questions you might have. You can reach out to us through our Facebook page or call the greenhouse.”

Imel said events like Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring are a good way to help bring the community together. “Community is the most important thing, and we have a strong community,” he said.

“We have several of the vendors from the Farmer’s Market who sell baked goods and jams that will be coming to the event,” he said, adding that other patrons and vendors from that market will also be at the February event. “And the Amish lady who makes donuts and fried pies will be bringing those to the event for people to buy and take home with them or eat at the event.”

“If you don’t necessarily want to come for the seminars, come visit the vendors,” Imel said. “This gives them another avenue during a time period in the winter when they might not be actively selling what they produce. Your patronage will help them kick off their spring season too.”

Imel said that events such as this help bring the community together, and when a community is connected, everyone benefits. “We want everyone to do well, and we want everyone to succeed,” he said.

Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring will begin at 9 a.m. on February 28 and go until 4 p.m.