Revived Greene Herb Fest will be Sunday

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com 

Get your herbs on, Sunday in Greene.

The resurrected and now again annual Greene Herb Fest will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, July 29, in Perrin Park near the Shell Rock River.

The community event was started in 1994 by Rita Barth, the owner of The Herb House in Greene.

“She had an herb garden, she did lunches and suppers and she did different classes, too,” said Susan Needham. “It was all about healthy eating and she used fresh produce out of the garden, etc. Then she retired and closed the Herb House.”

Needham, a Greene resident, business owner and Chamber of Commerce board member, restarted the festival last year with the help of others in the community.

“Two things I discovered when I would leave Greene,” she said. “When people found out you were from Greene there were two things they had been to Greene for. One was Herb Fest, two was the paddleboat.

“We didn’t have either one anymore. I knew the Herb Fest would be the easiest and quickest to bring back, so I went for it,” Needham said.

She called last year’s inaugural revival a huge success.

“All the vendors who were there last year asked to come back, that day. Then we have new vendors who will attending this year as well,” she said.

There will be “well over” 20 vendors this year, she said, including plants and vegetables, hand-crafted items, antiques and rustic items, art, books, dried flowers, candles and soaps, aromatherapy and essential oils and more.

Eddie Hesalroad of the Old Glass Factory in Greene will have cut glass, Boyd’s Bees will have honey and the Stone Cliff Winery of Dubuque will be there. Greenhouses include K&K Gardens out of Hawkeye and Becky’s Greenhouse of Dougherty.

“Pretty much all of them are unique,” Needham said. “We do not have vendors that have home show style products.”

Live music will begin at 1:30 p.m. by keyboardist Sam Cross of Osage, and food including homemade pie and ice cream will be available by local non-profit groups, including the Girl Scouts selling beverages.

“So, really, it’s an event you don’t want to miss,” Needham said.