Mums await planting. (Photo by Doug Freese.)
By the time the annual Saugerties Mum Festival gets here, there will be between 1,800 and 2,000 mums planted at Seamon Park, hanging from village light poles and filling planters. This year’s festival will be held on Oct. 4 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The rain date is Oct. 11.
George Terpening, in charge of the village parks, said there will be more mums at the park than in previous years. “We’re also going to have a special display planting to honor the 50th year of the festival,” Terpening said. “It will be a giant heart with the number 50 in the center.” In past years Terpening and his crew have created a peace symbol as well as hearts.
Mums come from Wessell’s Farms in Otisville and Boice’s Farm in Mt. Marion. They are funded by a trust fund established in 1922 by Henrietta Seamon, sister of John Seamon, who purchased the property for $10,000 from Egbert Cooper and donated it to the village for use as a park in 1909. Additional funding comes from the Blue Katz, the Saugerties Kiwanis Club and from individuals. Funds also come from the sale of the mums after the annual festival.
In 1965, the Saugerties Rotary Club and other citizens groups proclaimed the Chrysanthemum Festival to add to the awareness and appreciation of the site.
Donation toward the purchase of mums can be dropped off or mailed to Village Hall, 43 Partition St. Make checks payable to “Mum Festival.”