TGS Arlington Gourd Patch is dedicated to promoting knowledge of all aspects of gourds, including gourd history, planting, cultivation, growing, harvesting, drying, and crafting. Almost any craft methods that work on wood and leather will work on gourds.

Please contact us at arlingtongourdpatch@hotmail.com if you would like for us to prepare and present a program to your school, club, or group. We will also provide educational materials and sample crafted items at garden shows and festivals. Again, please contact us at the email address above if you would like us to provide educational services. Provide us a basic idea of what you would like and a way to contact you. You may also leave a message in our Guestbook, if you prefer.

>>> See our projects below <<<

Children's Discovery Garden, Fielder House Museum, Arlington, TX
Arlington Front Street Festival and Knapp Heritage Park	Sep 25, 2004	Sep 24, 2005
Public School Education	Nov 9, 2004	Nov 11, 2005	Feb 14, 2006
Garden Club Presentations	Nov 10, 2004	Nov 12, 2005
Johnson County Herb Society, Cleburne, TX	Feb 19, 2005
Austin, TX, "Mission:Possible! Austin, Inc"
Earth Day 2005 Celebrations
Fort Worth Herb Festival, Fort Worth, TX	May 21, 2005	May 20, 2006
Arlington Organic Garden Club's Natural Urban Living Garden Show and Plant Sale	June 18, 2005	June 10, 2006
Texas Gourd Society Annual Show and Sell	Oct 14-16, 2005	Nov 10-12, 2006
Workshops presented/hosted	Mar 11, 2006

                                                    

The TGS Arlington Gourd Patch participates annually in planting, tending, and showing the Children's Discovery Garden at the Fielder House Museum in Arlington, Texas. The Children's Discovery Garden is a collaborative effort of the Arlington Organic Garden Club, the Starflowers Garden Club, the Master Composters of Arlington, and Robbie Pritchard and Esther Chambliss representing the TGS Cowtown Gourd Patch and the TGS Arlington Gourd Patch.

The purpose of the Children's Discovery Garden is to capture the interest of grade-schoolers as they make school trips to the Fielder House Museum. We attempt to improve their interest and knowledge of how their food is grown and harvested. Some of the harvest from the garden is taken to shelters in Arlington.

Several types of gourds were planted in 2004 and did quite well. The 2005 growing season has just started and we have gourds planted again this year. We tell the children how gourds are grown and the history of their use through the ages as containers, bowls, storage, dippers, musical instruments, and many other uses.

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September 25, 2004 -- TGS Arlington Gourd Patch participated at Arlington's first annual Front Street Festival and the dedication of Knapp Heritage Park. This event was sponsored by the Arlington Historical Society.

TGS Arlington Gourd Patch manned a table that included lots of informational materials regarding gourds and their heritage, growing, and uses. We also had for sale: gourd seeds, childrens' coloring books, raw gourds for decorating, and some crafted gourd items.  We talked with several people who were very interested in attending our next meeting and probably joining Texas Gourd Society and American Gourd Society.

November 9, 2004 - TGS Arlington Gourd Patch will demonstrate to the third grade class of Fort Worth's Lily B. Clayton Elementary School the art of making Thanksgiving-related figures from gourd scraps and pieces. These  figures include a pin so that they may be worn on clothing. The students will be provided kits with enough pre-cut pieces so that they can assemble either a Pilgrim or an Indian. The students will first glue the smaller parts of the figure together and then will assemble those parts to the main body piece.  Learning to make figures in this manner demonstrates the ability to create larger crafted items and also the basics of making jewelry from gourds.

The demonstration and hands-on workshop will be led by patch President Esther Chambliss and Treasurer Robbie Pritchard.

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November 10, 2004 - Texas Garden Club's District II held its Fall convention at the Bob Duncan Community Center in Vandergriff Park, 2800 South Center Street, Arlington, Texas. Approximately 100 garden club members attended.

TGS Arlington Gourd Patch hosted a table where we distributed patch, TGS, and gourd information. We talked with several potential TGS members. Items for sale included seeds, gourds and plants from Robbie Pritchard and hand-crafted items by Esther Chambliss.

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February 19, 2005 - TGS Arlington Gourd Patch (Esther Chambliss, Cindi Creswell and Robbie Pritchard) presented a program on growing, harvesting and using Luffa Gourds. The program was enthusiastically received by the Herb Society members. Many questions were asked during and after the presentation. Educational materials and samples of Luffa soap were distributed.

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We and several other TGS patches were recently contacted by an artist in Austin who is working with keeping inner city kids and parents connected with various resources. This past year, she built an art center in East Austin for the families, kids, and other artists who want to share the arts with the inner city. Her classes vary from pottery, sewing, and advanced science experiments to kiddie art for the little ones, as well as music classes.

This summer, she plans to have the kids make musical instruments from gourds and other materials. She is also contemplating several other projects utilizing gourds.

Her outreach project is non-profit, with donations whenever possible. We are working with TGS member-growers, asking that they donate a few gourds, or even gourd pieces, for her commendable efforts. We also plan to contact Texas gourd artists to see if anyone would be willing to volunteer a little time or materials if possible.

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April 16, 2005 - TGS Arlington Gourd Patch participated in the 41st Annual Standard Flower Show and plant sale at the Fielder House Museum in Arlington, TX, and also at the Johnson County Herb Society's Celebration of Herbs Festival. At each of these events, we manned a table that included lots of informational materials regarding gourds and their heritage, growing, and uses. We also had for sale: gourd seeds, childrens' coloring books, dried and cleaned gourds for crafting, Luffa gourds, and some crafted gourd items.  We talked with several people who were very interested in gourds and are potential members of the Texas Gourd Society and the American Gourd Society.

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May 21, 2005 - TGS Arlington Gourd Patch hosted an information and sale items table at the Fort Worth Herb Festival, held at the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens.  We sold lots of packets of seeds and other items and distributed lots of information about gourds, TGS, and the TGS patches.  10:00 am - 4:00 pm.

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June 18, 2005 - TGS Arlington Gourd Patch hosted an information and sale items table at the Arlington Organic Garden Club's Tenth Annual Natural Urban Living Garden Show and Plant Sale.  Bob Duncan Recreation Center, Vandergriff Park, Arlington, TX.  Lots of finished and cleaned but unfinished gourds.  Plants for sale.  Information packets and gourd newsletters were distributed.

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September 24, 2005 - Arlington Historical Society's Second Annual Front Street Festival.  Arlington, Texas.

TGS Arlington Gourd Patch hosted an information and items-for-sale table. We distributed information on gourds, gourd history, and the Texas Gourd Society.

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Texas Gourd Society's 10th Annual State Show and Sell, Austin, TX at the Palmer Events Center,  900 Barton Springs Road.

Arlington Gourd Patch members led and participated in classes and seminars on Friday. They had a booth at the Show and sold gourd art and craft creations, as well as gourd embellishment items. We also hosted a Make-It and Take-It table for Show attendees to try their hand at gourd craft. Arlington Gourd Patch members created items for a Christmas-theme basket and donated the basket as one of the Raffle prizes. We are proud to say our basket was the first to be chosen in the periodic drawings.

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November 11, 2005 - Cindi Creswell and Esther Chambliss presented a program to an Arlington community school about gourds and their history and uses. The school hopes to make this program a recurring event and to expand the content of the programs.

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November 12, 2005 - Cindi Creswell, Esther Chambliss, and Robbie Pritchard presented a program on gourds and their history to the Arlington Garden Club.

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February 14, 2006  - TGS Arlington Gourd Patch presented a program to the third grade class of Fort Worth's Lily B. Clayton Elementary School. The talk, demonstration and hands-on workshop was led by patch President Cindi Creswell and Patch Secretary Esther Chambliss.

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Basket Weaving Workshop/Seminar, taught by B.J. Conrad

This seminar teaches Basket Weaving on Gourds. The seminar was open to artists of all mediums who are interested in learning basket weaving techniques. Invitations werer extended to all.

No prior experience was required.   .

The cost of $ 28.00 per student included a gourd and all supplies.

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Held at the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens. 10:00 am - 4:00 pm.  Arlington Gourd Patch hosted a table promoting gourds and gourd information.  We sold many plants from Robbie Pritchard and Esther Chambliss to benefit our patch.

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June 10, 2006 - TGS Arlington Gourd Patch hosted an information and sale items table at the Arlington Organic Garden Club's Eleventh Annual Natural Urban Living Garden Show and Plant Sale.  Bob Duncan Recreation Center, Vandergriff Park, Arlington, TX.  Samples of completed crafted gourds and works-in-progress.  Plants for sale.  Information packets and gourd newsletters were distributed.

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