Brent Lewis, a member of the La Grande Lions Club, prepares to deliver flowers to new troughs at the Union County Fairgrounds on Saturday, June 4, 2022.

LA GRANDE — Members of the La Grande Lions Club are using their green thumbs to add color to the Union County Fairgrounds.

Three hundred flowers were delivered on Saturday, June 4, and planted at the fairgrounds as part of a community effort to help the site come into full bloom.

The work will make a major impact, according to Kathy Gover-Shaw, manager of the Union County Fair.

“People coming here are really going to see a big difference,” she said.

Imbler High School’s FFA chapter donated the flowers to be planted at the fairgrounds.

“They have a fair market value of $1,300,” Brent Lewis, a member of the La Grande Lions Club, said.

Caring for the flowers will now be easier at the fairgrounds because many have been planted in new wooden troughs that are 2 feet high and 5-6 feet long.

The large size of the troughs means they can hold more water and will not dry out as quickly as the small pots the fairgrounds’ flowers were previously in.

Flowers not planted in the troughs were placed in barrels and in the ground next to the fairgrounds’ small stage.

The troughs were filled with compost donated by City Garbage Service of La Grande and soil purchased from Imbler High School’s FFA chapter. The compost and soil were placed in the troughs by Bill Delashmutt, of the La Grande Lions Club, who transported it with a tractor.

The troughs for the flowers were donated by Behlen Country, a Baker City firm that carries livestock and farm supplies. Gover-Shaw said it donated the troughs, which are seconds, because D&B Supply in Island City is a major sponsor of the Union County Fair and has a strong partnership with Behlen Country. Gover-Shaw said Behlen is a supplier to D&B.

The Union County Fair manager said the work and leadership of the La Grande Lions Club and the contributions of Imbler High School’s FFA chapter, La Grande City Garbage Service and Behlen Country were all instrumental to the success of the flower project.

“It took a big partnership to get this done,” Gover-Shaw said.

Kathy Grover-Shaw, manager of the Union County Fair, said there are a number of other projects the Union County Fair Board is working on that volunteers could assist with. Anyone interested in volunteering should send an email to ucfeventcoordinator@gmail.com or contact the Union County Fair via its Facebook page.