The new butterfly garden behind St. James the Apostle Church was a perfect setting for a fashion show on June 25.
More than 120 people were served strawberry shortcake with whipped cream under the marquee while they enjoyed looking at the gardens and the quaint small church building that will be used for storage. Before the show, people wan-dered out onto the small deck which overlooks the heritage Grand River. The garden has been created through the vision and donations of parishioners.
Donations of plants and time have helped make the garden a perfect place for wedding receptions and other special events. The proceeds from the fashion show will assist the general operating budget of the church.
St. James Church is celebrating its 150th anniversary and has events planned for the Feast of St. James. On July 19, there will be a Welcome Tea from 2 to 4pm at the church, followed by a dinner at the Fergus Legion.
On July 20, the parish will welcome present and former parishioners to a church service at 10:30am followed by brunch. Several special guests will be attending. Mrs. Loat-Richardson, the widow of Rev. C. J. Loat, who was the rector between 1943 and 1947 and designed the present church in 1946, will be present for the weekend.
Reverend Clarke Raymond and his wife, Mary, will attend the church service on Sunday. Rev. Raymond is the son of the deceased Larry and Kathleen Raymond. Both were active members of St. James. Larry Raymond served as treasurer and warden at St. James for many years in the early and mid 1900s. Fred Hotson, who was the organ pumper in 1929 will also be in attendance on the weekend.
