MARQUETTE, Mich. – After construction stopped the tradition last year, Petunia Pandemonium was back Friday morning. The petunias are blooming, and students were planting at Friday’s Petunia Pandemonium.
The Marquette Beautification and Restoration Committee first started this tradition of planting hundreds of flowers around 30 years ago the area on the front street was full of weeds.
Chari Person of the Marquette Beautification and Restoration Committee Barb Kelly decided the committee would take on this project of what she calls beautifying the gateway of Marquette. After some time, the committee was joined by parents and students from Bothwell Middle School, as a fun end of the year activity and a way to help teach students about gardening.
“But really in addition to learning a skill, it’s a whole thing about community pride it’s about how you can do a small thing that’s fun on a beautiful day plant some beautiful flowers, and then all summer long watch them get big, and bushy and beautiful,” said Chairperson Barb Kelly.
“It feels great to be a part of something that just makes the town look wonderful and having the kids down here for some this is the first time they’ve had their hands in the dirt planting something so that is a neat experience for them,” commented Bothwell Middle School Teacher Scot Stewart.
“It’s fun you get to like show people what we’re doing at Bothwell and how we’re improving how Marquette looks,” commented Bothwell Middle Schooler Malaki Johnson.
The plants last 5 months, going in the soil the first week in June and getting taken out in the fall. For more in
