Chestnut Level Presbyterian Church will hold its annual Porches and Posies garden tour on Saturday, June 14, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Proceeds will go to paying off the already completed sanctuary renovation project at the church. The event will be held rain or shine, and there will not be refunds.

Tickets can be purchased at the church, 1068 Chestnut Level Road, Quarryville, by calling 717-548-2763 or by emailing office@chestnutlevel.org. Attendees will receive a brochure with a map and a list of the homes on the tour, including the addresses.

There is a discount on tickets purchased before Saturday, June 7. Tickets will be available on the day of the tour at the homes of the Waltons, 90 Shady Lane, Conestoga; the Mussers, 20 Kreider Road, Willow Street; and the Davises, 242 Sleepy Hollow Road, Nottingham.

Ticketholders may visit the sites in any order and spend as long as they wish at each place. There will be members of the congregation at each stop, along with the garden owners, to welcome visitors and answer questions. 

Porches and Posies germinated out of a concept from event organizer Betsy Musser in 2021. "I just thought it would be a great idea to do," she said. Marty Henry and Anna Mary Barcus, who were committee members at the time, used their connections to help start the event.

Ruthie Smith and Peggy Osborne are helping Betsy with this year's tour. "It is truly an endeavor of the congregation," Betsy said.

Betsy noted that she hopes visitors will pick up suggestions for their own gardens. "As long as people get one idea, it's a success, something new or they didn't think of before," she said.

Chestnut Level Presbyterian Church is one of the stops on the tour. Betsy said participants will be able to see the restored sanctuary, featuring "the newly exposed balcony, the restored ceiling with gold leaf details, antique German-stained glass windows, two fieldstone additions on either side of the bell tower, and the wooden pews from 1914."

For the first time, visitors will be able to purchase lunch while at the church by stopping by the Family Life Center, which is across the street from the sanctuary. 

The menu will include spinach salad, turkey sandwiches, and chicken salad sandwiches. Dessert choices will include angel food cake with strawberries, strawberries and ice cream, and cupcakes. There will also be a stand selling lemonade and iced tea, as well as snacks. Items from Henrys' Farm and Greenhouses will also be available for purchase. Reservations are not required to purchase lunch, but those interested are asked to preregister by calling 717-548-2763.

The other stops on the Posies and Porches tour will include Ron and Bev Walton's home, the former East Centre School House, located at the corner of Shady Lane and Sandhill Road, Conestoga, and the Conestoga Heritage Farm, 118 Sandhill Road, Conestoga, which is across the street from the school. This is the 175th anniversary of East Centre School, which contains artwork from the early 1900s, flower gardens, and more than 500 hybrid and heirloom vegetables.

The grounds of this 1870s farmhouse include tomatoes, herbs, carrots, onions, red beets, strawberries, rhubarb, boxwoods, and azaleas.

Another stop will be Tony and Tawn Battiste's home in, Quarryville. Along with creek stones and shrubs, Tawn added flora and hanging baskets. There is a "door porch" that includes four doors from the former Quarryville movie theater of long ago. Tawn has put up numerous birdhouses, and Tony grows vegetables in raised beds.

Carol Gibson's home in Quarryville will also be featured. Gibson has a "Friendship Garden," which is overflowing with many plants shared from loved ones over the years and the memories they hold. There is a memorial garden off the west side of the sunroom in honor of her parents, Glenn and Evelyn Myer.

Jack and Dana Davis' home in Nottingham will be another stop. The Davis family members said they love "using trees, shrubs, and groundcovers to help create a cozy and interesting space during all four seasons." Dana enjoys planting flower seeds, and Jack tends to the trees and grass.

Bill and Betsy Musser's home, a 4-acre property in Willow Street, has evolved from a cornfield over the past 48 years. Tadpoles, frogs, and fish reside in the water garden, and there are frequently wrens in the birdhouses and hummingbirds at the feeder.

Another stop will be Don and Carol Trimble's home in Quarryville. The Trimbles had roses on a farm and then continued raising the flowers after moving to their current home 20 years ago. The types of roses include hybrid trees, foribundas, shrubs, knockouts, and miniatures.