WESTMINSTER — Due to several factors regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, Westminster Cares has cancelled its annual Westminster Garden Tour fundraiser planned for Aug. 1 and 2.
Westminster Cares has been closely following the recommendations issued by Gov. Phil Scott and public health authorities.
With restrictions on gathering size and the potential for exposure to the coronavirus, organizers said in a news release the virus and the restrictions “presented unprecedented circumstances, which left us no option but to cancel the tour.”
The Westminster Garden Tour - which the organizers described as “an event that takes a village to pull off successfully” - has been the major annual fundraiser for Westminster Cares for the last 18 years.
Gordon and Mary Hayward have opened their gardens and hosted the fundraising event since the first tour. Each year three or four area gardeners also invite the public to view their gardens, several of whom have been on the tour regularly. In the last few years, they have added workshops.
The Garden Tour Committee said it “is working on a plan to commemorate the weekend and remind past attendees that we will fully expect to continue this successful fundraising event in 2021.”
Preliminary plans include a virtual garden tour and online workshops. If you would like to be notified of upcoming Garden Tour-related activities, send an email to [email protected].
Announcements about virtual events will be made at westminstercares.org, and on the organization's Facebook page.