Click on the image above to open the PDF of the agenda and the mail-in form if you don’t want to register online!
2023 MSFGA Spring Show
Welcome and thanks for your interest in joining us at the 2023 MSFGA Spring Show: Re-Blooming in 2023! Below you’ll find the schedule and the online registration option as well as logistical information. We happily accept printed registrations and a check for payment as well. Click here to download and print out the PDF of the agenda and mail-in form.
Check out the Schedule & Registration below;
Saturday, April 22, 2023
8:30 - 9:00am: Registration
9:00 - 9:30: MSFGA Welcome!
9:30 -11:00: Succulent Workshop with Lauren Kimball of Mainely Succulents [Note: Registration is required for this session.]
Hands on! Learn new ways of using succulents for weddings, events, every day arrangements. corsages, favor+ more! Lauren will go over replanting after the event and teach us how to create your own Succulent Dish Garden to take home. At Mainely Succulents we make gardening and horticulture cool again! (We make growing plants FUN for all ages). We are passionate about cultivating community, helping others re-connect with nature and educating on the benefits of PLANT OWNERSHIP & CARE. This mission is central to all we do. Whether it's our retail store on Mill St in Downtown Orono, Maine, our collaborative events or partnerships with other businesses across the state, our focus is always on how we can educate, connect with and inspire the next generation of gardeners.
11:00 -12:00pm: Lunch on Your Own
Note: The following three sessions make up the Wedding Workshop. [Note: Registration is required for these joint sessions.]
12:00 - 1:00: Wedding Blooms to Bouquets with Vince Butera AAF, AIFD, PFCI
A fresh look at blooms, floral design and techniques to energize your 2023 wedding season!
Vince is Co-Founder and Floral Artisan of Butera The Florist. His love for floral design was evidenced at age six when he harvested pine branches from his family’s yard and hand crafted fresh centerpieces as gifts for his mom and grandmother. Now six decades later and a few letters behind his name, Vince is still passionate about his artistry. In the 1970’s, Vince studied ornamental horticulture and earned a B.S. degree from Delaware Valley University. Following graduation, Vince and Carolyn were married in 1980 they founded Butera The Florist in York, PA. In 2021, they moved to Downeast Maine where they now operate Butera The Florist as a wedding & event business. Ever the innovator and entrepreneur, Vince’s latest venture is a micro-farm of fresh flowers to be utilized in his wedding and event designs.
1:30 - 3:00: Who knew Glue?! Laurie Lemek, I BUY Flowers, CFD, AIFD, PFCI
Hands on! This class will teach you the techniques of creating a solid and comfortable base for head wreaths, wrist corsages and more! This technique is the building block for many floral projects. [Sponsored by IBuyFlowers & Oasis Floral Products]
Laurie Lemek, CFD, AIFD, PFCI, has been actively involved in the floral industry since 1975. From 19766 to 1992, she was co-owner of Lemek’s Florist & Nursery in Tolland, CT. She is currently the Vice President of the Board for AIFD, a board member of the Professional Floral Commentators International (PFCI), and in 2018 was inducted into the American Academy of Floriculture. Laurie resides in Ellington with her husband Kevin, where she is a Justice of the Peace, a Minister, and Floral Account Manager for I BUY Flowers.
3:30 - 5:00: Wedding Designs with Vince Butera AAF, AIFD, PFCI
Butera the Florist will present focal point decorating for Ceremony & Reception. Please note: Registration is required for this session.
6:30 - 7:30: Pasta Bar Dinner! Vegan + GF options available. Cash Bar! [Please note: Registration and fee required for dinner.]
7:30 - 8:30: Graduation Ceremony & Awards
Presentation of certificates and graduation for the PCF (Professionally Certified Florist).
Sunday, April 23, 2023
Enjoy all of the Sunday Seminars for a flat fee of $30 for Members and $50 for Non-members.
8:30 - 9:00am: Registration
9:00 - 10:00: Buying Local, What a Small Flower Farm can do for YOU! with Mary T. Turner, Salt Farm Flowers
Everyone needs local flowers for their events! Mary will discuss the flowers and florals she grows on her farm, that you can purchase in Maine. She will offer examples and handouts for this farm to vase experience. She will also discuss what locally grown flowers and botanicals work best for arbors, bouquets, personal flowers + drying methods.
Mary Turner has combined her Masters Degree in education and a love of growing things to enable her to begin an encore career as a flower farmer. Many years of volunteering as a Master Gardener helped to form the concept and provide the confidence to start Salt Farm Flowers in 2014. With the guidance of organizations like ASCFG and with the help of friends and family, a flower farm was created on fallow farmland and it continues to grow each year. Now with a dedicated team, Salt Farm Flowers is growing the highest quality local flowers possible. Follow them on social media as they navigate their flower journey.
10:15 - 11:30: Maine Flower Collective!
Come learn how to source local flowers from across the state that can be delivered right to your door! Also, a round table discussion; what do growers need from florists and what to florists need from growers?
11:30 -12:30pm: ANNUAL MEETING & Lunch at the Black Bear Inn [Please note: Registration and fee required for lunch. Add this session to your cart using the “Add To Cart” button below.]
12:30 - 2:00: Social Media Marketing Dive with Mary Haley, CEO, & Owner of MXH Marketing
Mary will take you on a deep dive into social media marketing and strategy. She'll cover the major platforms, their quirks, benefits, and cons to paid advertising, strategy, audience targeting, content creation, and best practices to ensure your social media is consistent, effective, and investment worthy.
2:00 - 3:30: MSFGA Mini Fryeburg Fair @ The Black Bear Inn!
Mark Pellon & Bill Sheehan of Lougee & Frederick's, Susan Laferriere of Spring Street Greenhouse + Carmen Nelson and members of the board. This is an opportunity to see a mini version of MSFGA's biggest floral event of the year. The proceeds from the Fryeburg Fair allow us to put on educational seminars and other events throughout the year! There will be a live auction at the end of the show and please come sign up to work with MSFGA at the 2023 Fryeburg Fair! Positions are paid!
Add the “All Sunday Seminars” to your cart by using one of the “Add To Cart” buttons below based on your membership status.
Logistics
Where is the show?
Black Bear Inn — 4 Godfrey Drive, Orono, ME 04473 (Just off exit 193 on I95)
Who can attend?
Anyone, no matter their floral or plant knowledge!
Do I need to be associated with a shop/ grower?
Not at all, individuals, students, retirees, and everyone in-between are welcome.
What do I need to bring?
“Wedding Workshop” attendees: Please bring the following materials — Floral knife, cissors, wire cutters, 1 tube of Oasis Floral Adhesive, measuring tape, 1 square of basil green felt (8x10), 12 green pipe cleaners, sheer ribbon, #5 color of your choice.
“Succulent Workshop” attendees: All supplies will be provided, just bring gloves if you prefer.
All other attendees: Please bring a notebook and something to write with!
Where do we park?
There is plenty of on-site parking for attendees for the day and/or weekend.
Can we stay at the hotel?
Yes! Tell them you are with the Maine State Florists & Growers Association.
How do I register?
You can register online using the information below, or if you prefer to submit your registration via mail, please follow these instructions.
If you have any questions, please email us at info@msfga.org.