Diane Markey, wearing wings, purple sunglasses and a pink tutu, waved her magic wand as families walked by and snapped her photo.
Markey, 45, was one of about 200 vendors present during this weekend’s 22nd annual Spring Garden Festival at the Kanapaha Botanical Gardens.
“It was a garden show, and I thought I would be a garden fairy,” she said.
The two-day festival welcomed spring with open arms as about 7,000 people navigated through the 62-acre garden where several Gainesville artists showcased crafts and Alachua County nurseries sold plants.
The Spring Garden Festival Committee, Frontrunners Chapter of the Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association, Gainesville Garden Club and the Kanapaha Gardens sponsored the event.
Jordan Goodman, 68, a Kanapaha Gardens founder and the director of operations, said the theme for this year’s festival was “Edible Landscapes,” which focused on vendors selling fruit trees, herbs and garden vegetables.
Auctioneers juggled bids for plants while live bands performed for passing audiences.
Goodman said the festival offers attendees a chance to experience the Kanapaha Gardens first hand.
“We think it’s great,” she said. “It’s a chance to really celebrate spring, and it’s a chance to bring people to the gardens that have never seen it before.”
Goodman said the festival is the Kanapaha Gardens’ biggest fundraiser, and the money raised is allocated to garden operations and to scholarships for college students.
As vendors sold plants and artists sold pieces, Nick Gentry wanted to give attendees the sweet taste of locally harvested honey for the second year in a row at the festival.
Gentry, 33, is a co-owner of Cross Creek Honey Company in Interlachen and has been beekeeping with his mother, Nancy Gentry, 61, for about six years.
While visitors sampled honey from the rows of jars and smelled scented candles and soaps, several people gazed with wide eyes at a live bee exhibit at the edge of a table.
Gentry said the bee exhibit allowed him to educate people about bees and the process of beekeeping.
“The best part about it is that it gives people a chance to see bees doing what they naturally do, which is make honey and be happy little creatures,” he said.
Many of the vendors displayed small crafts and plants in their booths, but John Brothers went to the festival with an arsenal of guitars.
The 61-year-old retired schoolteacher was looking for new students to teach music lessons.
“I’m not teaching just how to play the guitar,” he said. “I’m using the guitar to teach musical concepts.”
Brothers said he encourages parents to talk to their kids about being in orchestras and playing orchestral instruments, including the piano, harp or cello.
Brothers has been giving music lessons for about 42 years.
“It helps me financially,” he said. “But I like playing, and it gives me an excuse to play guitar.”
Kyle Martin, a 24-year-old botanist, has been attending the spring festival since 2007. With every visit, Martin said he enjoys spending time at booths shopping for plants.
“It’s like an addiction,” he said. “As long as I’m in Gainesville, I’ll probably blow money on plants.”
Monique Kerstein, a 23-year-old botanist, walked with Martin through the festival.
Kerstein said she also doesn’t have self-control when buying plants.
Martin agreed.
“She’s avoiding not eating here so she can buy more plants,” he joked.
