Gardeners and plant lovers braved a rainy Saturday to come out to the Carbon County Plantfest held in the Lehighton parks. Some of the vendors did not attend, but despite the weather, those that were there said they had people visiting their stands.

“It’s great. We’re having a good turnout even with the rain,” Amy Ritter from Slatington said. “I guess plant people like water just as much as plants do.”

The festival featured vendors with a variety of plants and plant-related merchandise, plus food and crafts. There were plant vendors, a plant swap, an art supply swap, artists, Kidzone, face painting, the Sword Tag Society, and live entertainment. And food was set up for sale in front of the municipal building.

Brendan and Abby Sangray from Coplay braved the rain to visit Plantfest and get ideas for plants for their home.

“We’re originally from Allentown, but live in Coplay now,” Brendan explained. “We love these kinds of events.”

Bands and musicians that were scheduled to play were Red Echoes, Hatter, Elissa Janelle Velveteen, Bees, and Geode.

“I think it’s a great thing the community does,” Deborah Debeauclair of Kunkletown, a member of the Master Gardeners of Carbon County said. “It’s always good to get your name out there, so that people understand what master gardeners are, and get more people involved.”

With the many gardening and landscaping shows on TV, it’s clear that gardening is a way of life for people.

“I love gardening,” exclaimed Stephanie Parmanand of Brodheadsville, who had a tent set up with a wide variety of plants. “This is my first year here, I decided to try it out. Even with the rain, there are still people coming by. I sell a lot of house plants from common to rare, and I have a lot of tips in case anyone has a lot of questions.”

“We always love Plantfest,” said Debbie Haverand from Slatington, who was there with her friend, Alicia Freundt.

“We wanted to see what kind of plants were here, and pick up some new ones for our homes,” Freundt said. “We don’t care that much about the rain.