—Lancaster Farming, Saturda:
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Easter being an annual festival
celebrating the resurrection of
Jesus Christ gives Christians
hope for their resurrection and
eternal life. It was also a spring
pagan festival and it usually
coincides with the Jewish
Passover. Thus, it means very
much to most people and is ex
pressed in many ways.
With the bursting forth of new
life as we see plant life greening
and flowers pudding apd
blooming, what better way to
express it than with flowers. No
one lives closer to nature and can
see new life unfolding than the
farm family.
One farm girl who says “I
really love working with flowers”
is Mrs Dennis (Deborah) Kolb of
1928 Creek Hill Road, Lancaster.
Debbie has been working for
Wengers Flowers, Inc. of 56
Quarry Road, Leola for six
months She works in the retail
section.
Among her duties are an
swering the phone and taking
orders, waiting on customers,
helping customers select
arrangements, wrapping plants,
matting and decorating plants,
filling orders that are sent out
and decorating the sales and
show rooms She is busy now
getting ready for Easter. This
means decorating for and han
dling extra sales during their
spring Open House or Easter
Show It also meant making
herself a special outfit to wear
during Open House. She made a
long full skirt of printed material
and a purple vest to match.
Wengers supply the same
material for about 12 girls and
each girl makes her own outfit to
wear during Open House. The
dresses are not made exactly
alike but most of them are full
length The material this year is
a very colorful print of early
spring shades of deep pink,
yellow, purple, blue and lime
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(Left to right) Mrs. Mildred Bomberger and Debbie Kolb making Easter sales
To Greet Easter with
Farm
Feature
Writer
Mrs. Charles
McSparran
green.
Wengers’ spring Open House
is currently running for six days,
April 14 through the 19th and
from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Wengers have tour large
display areas for the show. One
room depicts an Easter setting
and one room has a high stone
wall and waterfall. Both
resemble natural garden settings
with all kinds of flowers. The one
in front of the waterfall features a
lady standing in the garden
displaying several kinds of
corsages. A rustic room features
a water wheel with green plants
and the fourth room has a large
section of shelves displaying all
kinds of candles, candlesticks.
Debbie Kolb helps arrange the display window at Wengers
Flowers, Leola.
>rH 14.197:
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4ft
candle rings, glass and pottery
containers, figurines, potted
green plants, artificial and dried
arrangements.
Wengers have been having
Christmas and Easter Shows for
25 years. The Christinas Show
runs for two weeks. Hundreds of
people attend them and most of
the people return year after year.
Wengers flower business
started in 1920. Prior to that the
late Samuel Wenger was a but
cher and painter. His son Paul,
who graduated from
Elizabethtown College, was a
schoolteacher. The two con
structed several greenhouses
where they grew flowering
plants, cut flowers and tomato
plants and sold them at two
markets in Reading. Paul
married Miriam Stauffer,
daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs.
Cyrus Stauffer of Drumore
Township. She grew up on their
family farm. Miriam too
graduated from Elizabethtown'
College and was a schoolteacher
before marriage.
About 25 years ago Wengers
started a retail flower business
and stopped tending market. Mr.
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Floral Tributes
Mrs. Dennis Kolb, East Lampeter Township is w<
her handmade Wenger Flower Show outfit Holdi
Easter arrangement, she is standing in the garden
before the waterfall background.'
Debbie Kolb is right at home in her kitchen pn
meals for her farmer husband.
and Mrs. Paul Wenger both
worked in the business and their
children grew up in it. Betty has
worked full time in the business
for 28 years and Mildred full time
for 23 years. It is still a family
business. Rev. Paul Wenger and
Mrs. Wenger are taking less part
in it although he makes distant
deliveries and Mrs. Wenger helps
by making boxes for plants and
lace for corsages at home.
Mildred, now president of
Wengers Flowers, married Carl
Bomberger who serves as the
treasurer. Carl grew up on a
farm in East Lampeter Township
but attended West Lampeter
High School in order to take the
agriculture course there.
The Bombergers have a son
Kenneth who is attending
Bethany Seminary in Chicago.
Their daughter Carlene is at
tending Messiah College where
she is taking Home Economics.
She is very good at designing
flower arrangements and plans
to take a one year leave of ab
sence from colleee to work in the
business. Julie Ann and
Lawrence are attending
Conestoga Valley High School.
k V *
They help *in the
weekends and whenevei
not in school.
Betty, vice-presit
Wengers Flowers, is rr
Allan Bewley who is se(
the business. They he
children. Cathy is e
Elizabethtown Colie
attends Brownstown
where he is taking fit
He also attends Conesto
High School. Bradsor
Leola Elementary Scht
Wengers’ regula
hours are from 8 t<
Monday through Satur
employ 14 people regi
during their shows em;
help. From three to sev
Rev. Wenger make
largely over a 25 -mi
Their employees work
week except during sb
they work overtim
However, for the fam
seven day a week ta
care ~bf ventilating,
checking heat, doing ft
wedding work and
necessary delivers
business is not open
(Continued On Pai
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