Searcy will participate in the first ever “Big Bloomin’ Weekend,” set to take place this Earth Day weekend, from April 21-22.

According to Searcy.com, events will include gardening lectures and a plant sale hosted by White County Master Gardeners at the Carmichael Community Center. Plants will be on sale on tomorrow, April 21 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lectures will be conducted by White County Extension agent Sherri Wood and White County Master Gardeners Ann Wood and Bobbie Sandlin. The lectures will take place in the morning.

The event is meant to encourage the community, its citizens and its businesses to participate in beautification efforts for the city of Searcy. The event was created by president and chief idea officer of Think Idea Studio, Mat Faulkner.

“I created this event concept as an effort to engage and empower the Searcy area community to take an active role in beautification efforts,” Faulkner said. “Planting flowers is an easy and fun activity with a low cost. The concept is more about a community campaign to inform and inspire others to get involved and make a visible improvement all over the city.”

The idea was inspired after Faulkner observed Think Idea’s storefront. He realized they needed to plant some flowers to improve their curb-appeal, especially since the weather was warming up. He decided to make it a community-wide event and pitched the idea to other Searcy organizations.

As head of the Greenkeepers Garden Club, Liz Howell, vice president for alumni and parent relations, will be representing Harding University in the event and serves on the board of National Garden Clubs. Howell has a love of gardening, and also realizes the impact “Big Bloomin’ Weekend” could have on the community.

“The event is important because it creates awareness of how important it is to support the environment of our community,” Howell said. “It also gets people involved in something that benefits others and encourages other people to come and look at Searcy. By visiting Searcy, they will be able to see what a wonderful city we have.”

Parks and Recreation Director Mike Parsons has also been involved in the preparation for the event. He sees the event not only as a way to beautify Searcy, but also to bring the community together.

“There are different ways of doing that,” Parsons said. “This event is going to make you interact with other people. It’s not like you’re just going to go rake someone’s garden and leave. You’re going to have to get your hands dirty and interact with people you may have never seen before or you may not ever see again.”

All Harding students and community residents are welcomed to participate in the event. Plants will be on sale at both the Carmichael Community Center and Searcy Farmer’s Market. Those participating in the event are encouraged to share their experiences on social media using #BigBloominWeekend.