NVCC hosts 25th annual cactus show and sale April 5 & 6

WATERBURY, Conn. (March 24, 2008) – The Connecticut Cactus and Succulent Society is holding it’s 25th Annual Show and Sale on Sat., April 5, and Sun., April 6, at Naugatuck Valley Community College.

The show will feature displays, auctions, educational exhibits and 20-minute lectures on a variety of topics, including “succulents for the windowsill” and “growing succulents under lights.”  Last year the show gathered well over 1,000 attendees. 

“This year the lectures have been geared towards people without greenhouses,” says show chairman, David Schultz.  “Our main goal is to teach.  We want the program to be accessible and enjoyable to cactus lovers at all levels.”

The Society is also donating $1750 to the NVCC horticulture program.  Two grants will be given to selected students in the amount of $500 and the remaining $750 will be put towards the program’s new greenhouse.  The Society has been giving grants to the college since 1997.

The event runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 5, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 6.  It will be held in the fifth-floor cafeteria inside the Fine Arts Center at the college’s main campus, 750 Chase Parkway, Waterbury.  Admission is free, and free plants will be given to the first 50 attendees or families each day.  For more information, visit www.ctcactusclub.com or call (860)489-8356.

NVCC is the only community college in Connecticut that offers a degree in horticulture.  The program prepares students for continuing their education at a four-year university or for employment in landscaping, greenhouses, garden centers and as landscape designers.  Over 500 students have received training at NVCC and gone on to start their own businesses.  For more information, call (203)596-8634.

The Connecticut Cactus and Succulent Society is an affiliate of the Cactus and Succulent Society of America.  The state group meets monthly and hosts local workshops for members, in addition to the annual show and sale.