Downtown flower baskets to bloom again

Local folks have an opportunity to help bring a splash of spring and summer color to Aurora’s downtown square and at the same time renew a beautification program that was started about this time 13 years ago. 
In May of 2012, local gardener and then downtown business owner Megan Vetter went to the city council and asked if baskets of live flowers could be attached to the light poles around the square. They said yes and that summer beautiful flowers adorned the historic courthouse square in 24 steel baskets. 
That program has been carried on with the help of generous donations and a group of dedicated volunteers who took on the regular task of watering and tending the flowers ever since. 
However, when Vetter decided to retire from the flower basket program a few months ago, there was no one who immediately stepped up to take it over... until recently. Enter fellow flower lover Carla Jacobs, who volunteered to take over leadership of the program. 
“It’s always been donor and volunteer led,” Jacobs said, adding that the city doesn’t contribute anything to the funding of the flowers. “So it’s all by donors and volunteers and we need donations to fund it. Since we’re replacing the soil and the liners and putting in new flowers this year, it’s close to $3,000.”
Jacobs said a Go Fund Me has been started for the project and the link has been posted on the Aurora Nebraska Today Facebook page. In addition to having contacted businesses on the square for donations, she said they are also asking for donations from the general public. 
“It needs to be the whole community contributing to it because it makes the town look really nice in the summertime,” she said.
Noting that if 200 people each gave even $20, it would amount to $4,000, Jacobs said people can donate through the Go Fund Me page or, for those who prefer a more low-tech way of giving, they can drop off donations at Honeysuckle Lane. Checks can be made payable to “Aurora Flower Baskets.” 
“So far, we’re at about $1,100 right now, and that’s only with putting it up on Facebook and going around the square once and not even getting to everybody,” she said. 
Jacobs said if additional funds come in beyond the $3,000, she would like to install five more baskets that would be placed on the outside corners of the square, such as in front of Cornerstone Bank. She would like to have the funds raised soon so that the flowers can be planted before the end of the month.
“Hopefully, we’ll have them planted right right before Memorial Day,” she said. “We’re running behind because of all the changing of the guard and everything. They should have been planted this week, but they’re not going to get there, so we’re waiting for our liners to come in. The soil and the flowers are all ordered.”
Jacobs said the team of volunteers, who help with the watering of the baskets, is also in place and ready to use the unique water wagon that travels around the square on a regular basis. 
“There’s a golf cart that was donated years ago – and its nickname is ‘Rodney,’ I understand –  but anyway, Bruce (Hall who runs the Mulligan Man golf cart shop) keeps it running,” she said. “It has the watering tank on the back of it, and then we have someone set up for each one of the days. We can always use more volunteers. And then we’ll need volunteers to help plant too, and I’ll help train people on how to plant flowers.”
Jacobs asks anyone who wants to volunteer to help with the flower baskets or has questions about the project to contact her by email at auroraflowerbasket@gmail.com or by phone at either 678-897-2302 or 402-694-2773.