Debbie Moose and Carol Stein to Headline Friends of the Page-Walker’s 4th Annual Herbfest

CARY, N.C. - April 4, 2013 - PRLog -- Spring is the best time of year for Triangle gardeners.  Once the sun begins to shine and the earth begins to warm, plants (and people) emerge from their winter hibernation and begin bursting into life again. The Friends of the Page-Walker Hotel are offering garden enthusiasts just the inspiration they need to get growing at their 4th Annual Herbfest and at a pre-festival program and reception.    

The Friends are delighted to kickoff Herbfest weekend on Friday, May 3 at 7:00 PM by welcoming food and garden writers, Debbie Moose and Carol Stein, to the Page-Walker Arts & History Center.  Moose and Stein, co-authors of The (Raleigh) News & Observer’s monthly column, “The Tasteful Garden,” will present what is sure to be an entertaining and informative discussion about how to cook what you grow and grow what you like to eat.  Guests will have an opportunity to meet the writers at a wine and hors d’oeuvres reception and book signing following the program.  

Tickets for “The Tasteful Garden” program are $20.00 each, and may be purchased at the Cary Arts Center box office Monday – Friday from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM and Saturday from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM; online at http://www.eTix.com; or by phone at 1-800-514-3849.  A limited number of tickets are available to this event and a sellout is anticipated.  

Then on Saturday, May 4 (rain or shine) from 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM, the Friends will host their 4th Annual Herbfest.  Held on the lovely grounds of the Page-Walker Arts & History Center, this event promises something for everyone – from the most seasoned garden enthusiasts to anyone looking to turn their thumbs green.  

Festival-goers will have many opportunities to find out all they need to know about starting an herb garden by touring the Page Educational Garden, including a close-up look at the historic 1850’s Page smokehouse.  In addition, they will have an opportunity to watch herb cooking demonstrations and stroll through booths selling a wide variety of herbs, crafts and garden products.  Participating vendors include Chambers Arts, Cottage Lane Kitchen, Honeysuckle Farms, Humbug Farm, J&M Garden Art, The Little Herb House, Susan’s Garden, and many more.  Each vendor will be offering items related to gardening, herbs, native plants, perennials, nature and cooking.  Lunch will be available for purchase.

The popular Suzanne Tilton, a.k.a. the Butterfly Lady (http://butterfly-lady.com/), returns to Herbfest this year as a crowd favorite.  Her live butterfly releases are scheduled for 11:30 AM and 2:30 PM.

New to this year’s Herbfest is the Friends’ collaboration with the Cary Creative Center (http://www.carycreativecenter.org/).  From 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM, volunteers from the Center will provide reuse materials and guidance for children to make a fun garden craft.  The Cary Creative Center is connecting people with the arts and environment to promote reuse as a way to achieve waste reduction in our community landfills.  Herbfest visitors are encouraged to check out their arts and crafts reuse thrift store, located at 155 Wilkinson Avenue in Cary.

Guests also won’t want to miss the silent auction for a chance to win herb and garden-related items, including a garden book and beautiful butterfly/herb photographs.  

"We're so pleased that Herbfest has become a community tradition that brings so many people to historic downtown Cary,” said Friends’ President, Brent Miller. “I know that folks won’t want to miss the special program with Debbie Moose and Carol Stein on Friday evening, and of course the fantastic vendors, garden tours, children’s activities, food and fun on Saturday.”    

This event is co-sponsored by the Town of Cary and The Friends of the Page-Walker Hotel, an all-volunteer, non-profit, membership organization whose mission is to enrich the community by serving as a guardian for the Page-Walker Arts and History Center, by advocating preservation of Cary historical sites, archiving history and facilitating history education, and promoting cultural arts.  For information about Herbfest, visit http://www.friendsofpagewalker.org/concerts_and_programs.  For Friends’ membership information, contact info@friendsofpagewalker.org.  

MEDIA CONTACT:  Lisa Englert at (919) 342-0806 or info@friendsofpagewalker.org