Botany and booze brings big crowd to Verona

When Aimee and Matt Butch of Greenfield walked the grounds of Railroad Park in Verona on Saturday it was with cool drinks in their hands and a smell of spring in the air.

“We like flowers, and we like booze,” the wife said. “It’s a win, win.”

It was that combination that drew the couple and hundreds more to the borough May 22 and 23 for the inaugural Botany & Booze fundraiser for the Verona Garden Club.

Matt Butch said they got a weekend pass to sample drinks from the six craft beverage makers as well as take in the sights and sounds of the event.

One of their stops was at the Inner Groove Brewery tent. The Verona-based business was one of the main sponsors, and co-owners Jen Walzer and Kelly Melle assisted with event organization.

There were hundreds of people in the park and on the street. Verona police assisted with crowd control. Many attendees did not wear masks.

“I think people are looking for stuff to do now, especially if it’s outside,” Walzer said during the event. “We sold out of the brewery tickets, so we expected this. It’s still open for shopping and vending, but you can only sample if you’ve got a ticket. There’s music lined up for both days all day.”

Walzer and Melle helped coordinate the drink vendors.

“The brewing community is very friendly and very close-knit,” Walzer said. “Everybody helps each other out. Having more breweries in one spot is better than just having one because it brings in more of a draw. The craft beer consumer likes to try different things, and it helps us all out.”

Jim Rosipal of Monroeville was among the many helping out. He tried samples from several places including Butler Brew Works, which recently opened up a retail location in Oakmont.

Rosipal said his daughter, Kristen Crawford of Monroeville, works in Verona and the family stops by the borough often.

“We do a lot of this in the summer time, these different festivals and fundraisers for different organizations,” Rosipal said. “We just really like it. It’s fun (and) really nice (here).”

More than 350 brewery sampling tickets were sold. There also was a lemonade stand, funnel cakes, food trucks and other non-drink vendors.

Tara Jean Schaaf, Riverview School Board member and Verona resident, debuted her Whimsical Whimsie business featuring various laser-cut, hand-painted items.

“I think after covid, this is a really nice way for people to get out and be around other people,” she said. “Get to do something that we haven’t been able to do for over a year. I work in a hospital. I think this is very important for everybody after everything we’ve been through. I think the organizers did an excellent job. This is wonderful. Verona is a very close-knit community. I think this a good way for us to get together.”

Garden club officials said the goal was to raise at least $10,000.

Club vice president Kim Roller said the club was able to hit its goal for its beautification projects.

“I think this is a much bigger turnout than any of us expected,” Roller said. “Everybody seems really happy. The music’s good. The food’s good. We’re almost selling out of plants. It’s crazy. The whole park is packed.

“It’s something different. Something new. This is our first year doing it. Hopefully we do it again next year.”

The club’s tent featured hanging baskets, pre-potted plants, flats of annuals, hibiscus and numerous donated plants.

Club president Angela Occhipinti believes the event support will go a long way for upcoming projects.

“We’re making up for some lost time here,” Occhipinti said. “This is our biggest fundraiser that we have done in all the years. It’s a huge success and it will be every year.”

She said her group installs and maintains hanging baskets throughout the borough as well as planting at the war memorial. The borough building along East Railroad Avenue and Cribbs Field along South Avenue are two new planting sites added this year.

More information about the garden club is available on its Facebook page.