Goshen grows a great garden tour

Turnout this year doubles in size Goshen — What better way to spend a summer day than on a tour of Goshen’s most scenic gardens, after a delectable luncheon on the lawn? The Gardens of Goshen Tour, now in its third year, is a fundraiser for St. James Episcopal Church. Served up at lunch were bean and wild rice salads with pecans, hand-squeezed lemon chicken, asparagus rolls, and assorted quiches, all made by parishioners Marsha Burke, Ursula Degenhardt, Eileen Policatti, and their helpers. This was followed by a plethora of pastries, fruit salad, coffee and cake. Each table was set with a lovely tablecloth and flowers from Ray Bally’s garden. Other garden groups from Goshen, Middletown, and Warwick set up booths to tell others what they are all about. Members of Cornell Cooperative Extension offered information on their Master Gardener course and handed out copies of their newsletters. The only group missing, it seemed, was Goshen in Bloom. Each person received an elaborate program with a map, pictures of the featured houses, descriptions of the gardens, and gardening tips. A raffle included prizes like the ornate cast-iron urn worth $650 donated every year by Mr. and Mrs. Mackuen. Lowes, Home Depot, Joe’s Greenhouse, Goshen Florist, E.P. Jansen, and Hudson Valley Landscaping donated other items and plants. “We’ve raised $30,000 in three years,” said Ray Bally. The idea of adding the luncheon to the garden tour was his, while the tour was Marsha Burke’s brainstorm. According to Bally, the church raised close to $7,000 from the raffles alone. The gardens tour is only one of several fundraisers at St. James. The others include a pancake breakfast and mums sale, and a rummage sale with lunch. The fundraisers became especially necessary after a fire gutted the church’s 19th-century chapel, which was rededicated in a special ceremony last month. “It cost over a half a million dollars to rebuild, and we had to go to arbitration,” said Bally. Though the building has been fully replaced, the church faces ongoing costs, such as replacing the slate roof on the main church building and installing a new furnace and alarm system, among other expenses. All proceeds from the tour and luncheon will go toward the building restoration fund. “While we would love to use all the money for community outreach, we have a 153-year-old historical building that constantly needs attention,” said Father Carl Lunden, Rector of St. James. “Nonetheless, funds from our next event, the Great American Weekend, will be entirely donated to community outreach programs.” Turnout at the tour was double what is was last year. Organizers coordinated with other garden groups so as not to conflict with their events. This also enables the groups to attend each other’s events and learn from them All of the houses on the tour had impressive gardens. One standout was the Novellino home, awarded Goshen Restoration’s Historic Preservation Award in 1995. Its life-sized white angel statuary and fountain in an elaborately picturesque setting complemented the dramatic architecture of the home. Another, the Bottis’ garden on Woodcrest Lane, afforded panoramic views from a landscaped pool area. Six homeowners in all donated their time and landscaping to the fundraiser.