Parks luncheon

HILLSDALE — The annual benefit luncheon for Hillsdale’s parks, including the Roeliff Jansen Park and the Hillsdale Hamlet Park, will be held Sunday, June 26, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Hillsdale firehouse on Route 22. Proceeds from the luncheon will help promote fitness and fun in Hillsdale’s parks through the purchase of fitness equipment for the Roe Jan Park and new equipment for the playground in the Hamlet Park.Last year’s event sold out; people are urged to get their reservations in as soon as possible. Tickets are $40 each and must be reserved in advance by downloading a reservation form at www.roejanpark.org.At this year’s garden luncheon guests will learn about four seasons gardening from Copake Falls gardener and writer Margaret Roach, enjoy a Tuscan picnic lunch by the Red Barn and bid on more than 50 items for flowers, fitness and fun in a silent auction. The banquet space at the Hillsdale firehouse will be transformed into a lush garden setting by Hillsdale’s own Passiflora. Guest speaker Roach has worked for more than 20 years to make her Copake Falls garden a visual treat every day of the year. At the luncheon she will sign copies of her new book, “And I Shall Have Some Peace There.” She has agreed to donate proceeds from the book sale to the parks’ benefit.Silent auction items to date•A pair of Hunter Wellington boots with boot liners•Ceramic vase, by Jacqueline Wilder•A basket of garden books and a Book Barn gift certificate•A day at Seven Salon Spa in Stockbridge, Mass.•11-inch hand-turned wooden bowl, by Jim Colclough•Private tour for two of Steepletop, house and garden of Edna St. Vincent Millay•Crawfish Etoufee for six, cooked by a real Louisianan with real Louisiana crawfish•Fitness consultation with fitness expert Barbara Pearlman and copy of “Be Garden Fit”•Stone and board sculpture, by noted landscape architect and artist Jon Piasecki•Basket of chocolates from Koppers Chocolates•Delivery of composted mulch from Farm & Feed•Stump stool, by Jay Rohrlich•Turner Farms maple syrup with antique syrup pourer•Basket of Louisiana goodies: pecans, coffee, homemade fig preserves and more•Japanese brush painting and mono-print, by Maj Kalfus•Hand-crafted contemporary metal vase•Handheld GPS for geocaching — the treasure hunting game •Photo by Arthur Baker•Italian food basket by Ciao Imports•Facial by Amelia Robedee-Sydlosky•Signed photo, “Red Peppers,” by Lonny KalfusIn addition, Roach is putting together a botanical-themed basket, filled with items from her favorite local merchants, that will be raffled off at the luncheon. For more information or to reserve tickets for the benefit, go to www.roejanpark.org or www.hillsdaleny.com.Submitted by benefit chair Patti Rohrlich.