RUMFORD — More than a hundred people from the River Valley area and other parts of the state took advantage of Tom Carey’s tours of his five acres of flowers, fruits, vegetables and trees on Saturday.
The event was held to raise money for the operation of the Black Mountain Ski Resort.
Carey said on Monday that $1,250 was received, a figure he will match. He also said that members of McLaughlin Gardens in Paris plan to visit the gardens Wednesday night, paying the $10 per person donation, which Carey will also match.
“It was a busy day during the tours,” he said.
Each one took about an hour. Many visitors to the Isthmus Road gardens preferred to wander among the plants, trees and stone sculptures by themselves, he said.
“People were so appreciative,” he said. “It was heartwarming to hear that (many) never imagined a garden like this in Rumford. Some said they’d expect one in Boothbay Harbor.”
He said one woman immediately called friends when she saw Carey’s Stonehenge sculpture. They arrived after the tours ended for the day, but got to see it anyway.
While many visitors may have learned much about gardening, such as the enormous number of hours required to keep everything weed-free, Carey said, he also learned from some of the visitors.
One hint that particularly struck him was advice on how to turn a stone that represented the head of a snake so that it better reflected the subject in his Serpentine Garden.
Many suggested that he provide garden tours every year. He’s not quite ready for that, he said on Monday.
Four volunteers under two pop-up tents helped out all day on Saturday. Carey said Black Mountain Board of Directors Chairman, Roger Arsenault, thanked him for helping to raise funds for the mountain.
Various fundraisers have so far raised about $125,000 toward a $200,000 goal for operating the mountain. The former owner, Maine Winter Sports, turned the resort over to the board last week.
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