Bangor Garden Show coming up

BANGOR – The Bangor Garden Show ushers in mid-Maine’s tribute to spring at the Bangor Auditorium and Civic Center on April 11-13. Show hours are 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $8 for adults and $3 for students. There is no charge for children under 5. Check out the Web at www.bangorgardenshow.com.

The show features:

. Landscape Design Exhibits, an award competition, illustrating a variety of gardening concepts and practices available to the home gardener.

. Children’s Room, sponsored again by the Hudson Museum. This year’s theme is “The Three Sisters: Native American Gardening.” The creative room will include Southwestern pottery seed jars, Navajo textiles with plant motifs, objects made from native plants and an area of American Indian herb traditions. The Children’s Room is known for its kid-friendly, hands-on displays.

. Lecture Series, with a wide variety of topics and speakers, including Roger Swain, MPB’s “The Victory Garden” Paul Tukey of People, Places, and Plants magazine; George Stilphen, author of “The Apples of Maine;” and Barbara Damrosh, Four Seasons Farm.

. More than 60 retailers statewide, offering “soup-to-nuts” wares.

. GCFM Standard Judged Flower Show, with a “Faerie Fancies” theme. The show includes exhibits, crafts and a variety of plant types.

. Kids Grow, Too! K-8 award competition focusing on gardening, composting and recycling projects.

. Educational Displays, including related associations and societies, governmental entities and private projects.

. Quilt raffle, original design.

. Food, souvenir booklet, and Liberty Garden Triptych.

Preview night will be April 10. Advance tickets are $35 and may be purchased no later than April 8 at Best Bib and Tucker, 115 Main St., Bangor, 942-7009; or Bangor Convention Visitors Bureau, 519 Main St., Bangor, 947-5206 or (800) 91MOOSE. The theme of the night is “Fun to the Finish,” celebrating historic Bangor Raceway.

The Preview Night Gala offers a “first view, best view” of the show, jazz and blues by local musicians and catering by Kerry Cox and his culinary team from Killarney’s at the Holiday Inn.

The keynote speaker will be Roger Swain.