John Henderson, left, and Jim Cornett of the Linden Masonic Lodge 192 had to be at their best for the Wildflower Trails festival. They were the pancake makers starting breakfast at 7 a.m. that morning.
Jonathan Webb was one of three musical groups performing for the Linden Wildflower Trails Festival Saturday. Also performing were the Colt Williams Band and Stevie Ray and the Deacons band.
Quite fast and almost without effort,Jose Garcia of Mt.Pleasant crosses the 5K finish line at 18 minutes and three seconds for the win in the Linden Wildflowers Trail run Saturday.
Emily Pennington of the Linden Garden Club shows her surprise and pleasure at receiving the arboreal award in judging for her plant arrangement. Shirley Baker of the garden club makes the presentation.
Wyatt Combs of the Cave Springs area is about ready to test the Linden Masonic Lodge’s pancakes. The lodge makes pancakes each year for the Wildflower Trail Festival.
Frances Miller, left, and Evelyn Richardson of the Pleasant Hill Quilters show the quilt that was donated to the quilting group and turned into a free raffle. Some 40 quilts were organized by the Pleasant Hill group.
Delighted to supervise the showing of art works inside the Cass County Courthouse are Gail Dorgan, left, and her parents Shirley and Jackie Mitchell. Dorgan, history and English teacher, is a leader in many activities for the Linden community.
The Linden-Kildare High School Tiger Band was at the head of the parade leading the Linden Wildflower Trails Festival Saturday. Deborah Lummus Vasatka of Linden was the top car winner for the Linden Wildflower Trails Festival Car Show. Her entry is a poli
2024 Linden Wildflower Trails
Linden’s 2024 Wildflowers Trails Festival is as much about competition and cooperation as it is about flowers.
All around the village and its square, people tried to be their best or show their best. Participants went to major lengths to sell or interest the passer-by, ask for support, play a game to win a cake, judge the best painting or marvel at an antique car.
Even the artists were competing. Who had the best flower arrangement?
Best quilt? Best art work?
One was encouraged to go to the roadside and look for the wildflowers.
But here, in downtown Linden, on or just off the courthouse square, the emphasis was on showing.
Of course, the presence of flowers makes everything colorful and fresh.
It’s exciting to be in the outdoors. Wildflowers are the reason for the festival. Throughout the day Saturday, people wore a variety of flower-decorated tee-shirts and painted themselves with flowers.
But the atmosphere was like that of a big market.
This emphasis doesn’t lessen the wildflower trails’ experience. It just distinguishes it today.
Anything goes. A petting zoo, a road race, a parade with horses and mules, a rodeo on the outskirts of town and a lot of music — all are part of the wildflower fest.
Everyone wants everyone else to know that Linden, Avinger and Hughes Springs have a spring wildflower trails festival. It is something to be proud of. And that’s quite valuable these days.
Most of the vendors and performers had one special reason for participating. They wanted to support their community, their volunteer fire department, church, school or creative neighbors enjoying a hobby.
That’s the reason for a people festival accented by wildflowers. Look closely at the people in the accompanying photographs. They are having a festival time.