The Moon and Stars organization, in conjunction with the Beaumont Council of Garden Clubs, will present the fourth annual Maypole Festival, May 12, at the Tyrrell Park Garden Center, located at 6088 Babe Zaharias Drive in Beaumont.
“Everyone should attend,” Sandra Hammerling, Maypole Festival co-founder, said. “The games, performers and vendors are fun for the entire family.”
The festival features live music, local performers, area vendors and regional cuisine. Patrons may stroll through the gardens, rest by the koi pond or visit the nation’s first September 11th Memorial.
“The Beaumont Botanical Gardens is such a relaxing and beautiful piece of Beaumont,” Hammerling said. “We make new friends every year.”
The festival opens at 11 a.m., with the wrapping of the maypole at 4:30 p.m. by Bonnie Cokinos School of Dance.
“We wrap the maypole to bless the crops so our farmers and community do well this season” Hammerling said. “This festival is also a memorial to a dearly missed friend, Paula ‘Torchy’ Salter.
“She left us with the memory of her ‘feel good’ spirit in our community. We, the Moon and Stars, wanted to memorialize Torchy’s spirit with the raising of a maypole, which will benefit our community for years to come.
“Torchy touched many of us in so many ways,” Hammerling said.
“For us, we have a memorial for her,” Hammerling said. “But more importantly, for those who did not know her, this memorial should inspire others to live and give with a loving spirit — just like Torchy’s.
“The Annual Maypole Festival event brings the community together in love and spirit and leaves us with happy memories, as Torchy did, for all who attend.”
For information, email torchymaypolemoonandstars@yahoo.com, or message the Beaumont Maypole Festival Facebook page.