Growing strong

Nearly 2,000 people flowed through the gates in the first 90 minutes of the opening of the 24th annual Garden Fair that shared its space with the Boy Scouts of America Aloha Council Kauai District Makahiki Saturday at Kauai Community College.

The audience from both events freely mingled through each showcase, the younger members eagerly diving into the array of keiki acitivities spearheaded by the 4-H program, and shoppers from the garden fair experiencing the unique Scouting offerings of its perennially favorite rope bridge that was supplemented by the Sea Scouts’ bosun’s chair.

Vendors sprawled over the tent city welcomed shoppers getting a respite from presentations by the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, and free beet seeds were available through the Master Gardeners as the featured vegetable for this year’s Kauai County Farm Bureau Fair that will be held during the Admissions Day weekend in August at Vidinha Stadium in Lihue.