File photo Renee Gauer, left, Pat Elston, Pat Lenz, Sue Curley and Juane Elston look over the flower gardens and quilts that were on display at Cookie and Joe Cooreman's home in Balaton during the 2017 Tracy Area Gardens and Quilts tour. The 2018 tour will be held Wednesday.

TRACY — Select locations in and around the Tracy area will be highlighted for the 2018 Tracy Area Garden and Quilt Tour scheduled for July 11.

This year marks the fourth annual event, which is sponsored by Tracy Kiwanis and St. Mary’s CCW.

“We are all very excited,” board member Kathy Van Moer said. “We’re looking forward to the day. There are lots of fun things for everyone to see.”

The Garden and Quilt Tour intermingles dazzling garden sites and magnificent quilts, creating a unique experience for people interested in attending the event. Attendees are likely to get ideas for their own gardens or quilts in addition to hearing countless stories about how and why the featured gardeners and quilters designed their masterpieces.

“The event started with the Tracy Kiwanis were looking to do a fundraiser and thought of doing a garden tour,” Van Moer said. “Kiwanis member Becky Averill was getting her hair cut and thought she would check with Jolynn Johns for suggestions or help. Jolynn paused and said that the St. Mary’s CCW had just had a meeting and were thinking about doing a garden tour also. It didn’t make sense for both to plan one, so a joint committee was formed.”

Along with Van Moer, Johns and Averill, committee members include: Elise Lanoue, Jesse James and Lynn Verlinde. Together, they not only find volunteer gardeners and quilters willing to share their time and talents, but also coordinate which quilts look best in which garden area. Though timely, the process makes all the difference, according to the overwhelming positive comments shared by tour-goers last year when the event was held in the Balaton area.

Featured gardeners this year are Jeanine and Jim Vandendriessche, Virginia and Steve Hansen, Lavern and Alfred Jessen, Karen and Art Peterson, Jan and Steve LaVoy and Rose and Lynn Goltz. Greenwood Nursery and Wheels Across the Prairie museum are also part of the tour.

“There will be various quilters featured along with Cindy Bader, Pam Swanson, Connie Anderson and the Vandendriessche family,” Van Moer said. “Greenwood Nursery will be giving tours of their growing area as well as having various vendor sessions.”

A $15 ticket covers the cost of attendance cost as well as pie and ice cream.

“St. Mary’s pie and ice cream will be served in St. Mary’s Hall along with a long arm machine quilting demonstration by Fabric’s Plus and a non-traditional hand quilting demonstration by Lois Ahlschlager. There will also be a few surprises along the way that day, which will also include sharing from Ann Carrow’s collections.”

Separate raffle tickets will also be on sale for $2 each. Van Moer said raffle prizes include an 82 x 96 inch quilt donated by Verlinde with machine quilting donated by Bader, a garden planter with annuals by James, two St. Mary’s pie certificates and three wooden garden tulips by the Goltzes.

St. Mary’s CCW pie ladies have been making and selling pies for seven years. The frozen pies are on sale for $10 all year round. On the day of the tour, pies being served include: blueberry, caramel apple, peach, strawberry rhubarb and rhubarb custard.

The 2018 Gardens and Quilts Tour will run from 2:30-8 p.m. Wednesday with a rain date of Thursday. Advance tickets are available at Greenwood Nursery (Tracy and Marshall). Tickets will also be available at each site on the day of the event.