The community is invited to the Elverson Garden Club Flower Show, which will be held on Saturday, Oct. 18, from noon to 4 p.m. in Detterline Hall at St. Peter's United Church of Christ, 1920 Ridge Road (Route 23), Knauertown. Admission is free.

The church will sell baked goods and soup for takeout during the flower show hours in four varieties: chicken corn, vegetarian vegetable, ham and bean and Italian hamburger vegetable.

Flower show entries will be submitted in three major subject areas: design, botanical arts and horticulture. This year's show will feature an added element of literature as the entries in each division will be created around the theme "Famous Quotes."

"When we were looking for a theme for the show, we decided people needed some inspiration," said Vanessa Peterson, who is co-chair of the event along with Lisa Cherpanich. "Each category of the flower show is dedicated to an author, and each division will emphasize a well-known quotation."

There are individual subcategories in each division. In horticulture, categories include cut specimens, fruits and vegetables and container-grown plants. The design division includes categories such as framed designs and dried plants. For botanical arts, people may enter an artistic crafts category using items such as a hat, a high-heel shoe or a watch as a vessel for their plants.

The design division is dedicated to Robert Frost. One of the categories features the quote, "The best way round is through." The horticulture division will feature quotes by Rachel Carson. "(Carson's quote), 'Each mystery solved brings us to the greater one' is for the cut specimen category in the horticulture division," Peterson noted. "My favorite is Doctor Seuss, and he is the (featured author) in the botanical arts division."

This year's show will also feature a youth division with participation from Twin Valley High School (TVHS) and Chester County Intermediate Unit (CCIU) students. The quote by Maya Angelou for the youths' novice class is "Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud."

"The Twin Valley Education Association had a workshop where the community can come in, and (TVHS teacher) Nicole Weaver was making wreaths back in December. She spoke at our club, and I went into the school and presented to her students," said Peterson, explaining how the participation by the TVHS students came about. "For the CCIU, Mike Walls is one of the (horticulture) instructors there and he joined our club, and he has students signed up for the show, too."

"Young people have such enthusiasm; it will be fun to see their interpretations of the quote," Peterson added.

Organizers believe that the upcoming show, which the club holds every two years, will be interesting for people who love plants, as well as those who enjoy literature. "Authors uplift us and put a twist on our lives to take us away from reality for a while," Peterson said.

The Elverson Garden Club is a member of the National Garden Clubs and the Garden Club Federation of Pennsylvania. The National Garden Club System of awarding will be applied in all divisions at the upcoming show; accredited judges will be used. 

Judging will take place prior to the opening of the show so the awards can be seen by the public. Information about joining the club will be available, and club members will be on hand to answer questions.

The Elverson Garden Club, now in its 96th year, meets monthly, with the exception of January and February, at Detterline Hall on the first Tuesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. Debbie Wright serves as current club president.

Besides monthly meetings and activities, the group decorates Hibernia Mansion at Christmas and participates in the Longwood Gardens Flower Show and the Philadelphia Flower Show.

Individuals may join the "Elverson Garden Club" Facebook group for more information about the club and the show.