VIENNA — This year will mark the 25th anniversary of the Mill Stream Grange Plant and Bake Sale in Vienna, on Saturday, May 18, and Sunday, May 19. Our first sale was held in 1983 when all the seedlings were grown by grange volunteers.

Colman Von Graff, now deceased, was a nurseryman from New Jersey who moved to Vienna and joined Mill Stream Grange. He had the idea for the sale.

Volunteers went to his greenhouse where he taught them how to plant seeds and transplant seedlings, which were then sold. Leftovers were planted at the Vienna Town House. As Coleman got older, he could no longer maintain the greenhouse and in 1988, the Grange approached Scott Longfellow for seedlings.

The group has gotten its seedlings from Longfellow’s Greenhouse since that time, enabling the sale to continue. It has, and continues to be, one of the biggest fundraisers for the Grange. Another big fund raiser is the patchwork quilt that the Grange ladies make every year. It will be on display for raffle ticket sales during the plant sale.

The sale includes a wide variety of flower and vegetable seedlings plus patio tomatoes, perennials, specialty annuals and hanging baskets. There will be lots of homemade pies, breads including brown bread, desserts and savories such as lasagna, enchiladas and baked beans.

The sale is at Mill Stream Grange on Route 41. Saturday hours are 8 a.m. to noon. Sunday hours are 10 a.m. to noon. The sale will be held rain or shine.

For more information, call Libby Harville at 293-2362 or Barbara Gilman at 293-2271.

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