The Center Plant Sale in Brainerd, Minnesota: May 14-16

Link to The Center

Here is more information on the sale via the Brainerd Dispatch:

The Center’s plant

sale to begin Thursday

The Center will conduct its plant sale from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Center located on 804 Kingwood St., Brainerd.

The plant sale has become an annual event and is open to the community. The plant sale began as the vision of Ida MacFarland and Lavina Anderson with the selling of their perennials from their own flower beds. Under the direction of Rudy Hillig, the plant sale evolved into the event that it is today with many varieties of vegetables, fruits and trees.

The sale happens because of a community commitment to The Center. The Brainerd School District allows The Center to use the greenhouse at the Community Ag Center, Brainerd High School Farm; more than 40 volunteers assist in the process along the way writing out identifying plant stakes, transplanting seedlings to selling plants at the sale. Volunteers Ruth and Jim Valerius helped with the entire plant sale. Ruth Valerius started all of the seeds, and they have done all of the watering which is sometimes three times a day.

Volunteers begin the work from mid-March, when seeds are started, to mid-May when plants are ready to be sold.

Here is more information about the center via their website:

The history of our Center includes over three decades of information. In 1979, we became a 501C3 nonprofit organization, and we were located at 704 Front Street, Brainerd, MN. Renovations were completed and in September of 1983 The Center moved into the old fire station on Laurel Street, Brainerd. Memberships grew as in 1992 there were 560 members. In 1999, Bethany Good Samaritan gifted a building located at 803 Kingwood Street to the Center. Renovations began and shortly The Center moved to their new, current location on August of 2001.

Membership and programs continue to grow. If you are interested in what you see here; please consider joining our over 1,450 members!

Our mission is to have a Center which is a community focal point on aging; a place where mature citizens can meet and participate in activities, classes, programs and services which will support their independence, and enhance their dignity and quality of life.