From the May 11, 2006 edition of the Northeast News Gleaner Deer Meadow Flower Show follows Yellow Brick Road By Lauren Fritsky Correspondent When local residents visit the second annual Northeast Philadelphia Flower Show at Deer Meadows Retirement Community this week, they may think they're not in Philadelphia anymore. Staff at the retirement facility at 8301 Roosevelt Blvd. will unveil "Gardens of Oz" to the public tomorrow and keep the magical land of Dorothy and her pals alive until May 17. The show, whose theme was Alice in Wonderland last year, will be complete with the Yellow Brick Road, Emerald City and munchkins and witches. According to Deer Meadows Director of Marketing & Public Relations Liz Harbison, Northeast neighbors who visit the show will leave convinced there's no place like home. "We hope that we'll outdo ourselves," she said, "but we'll leave it up to you." Harbison hopes the illustrated canvases and props are as visually pleasing as the thousands of plants to view and buy, which she said "are just bigger and prettier than last year." To further perpetuate the fantasy setting this year, staff and students from local high schools extended the canvases, which capture the characters in various scenes, up to the 20-foot ceiling. "We kept saying it just stops there and then you see the ceiling," Harbison said. "We know we're just a retirement community, but we know we can do better than that." Munchkin Land, Emerald City and the Witch's Castle will come alive with a glass ball, liquid bubbles, fog, a spinning house and the trees that throw apples. Staff will wander the exhibit dressed as the movie characters and pose for pictures with young guests. Contest drawings by local elementary school students will hang along the hallways outside the showroom. Harbison said a future possibility is having contests for older, professional artists. "If it will grow, we'd be glad to have a different category for advanced artists," she said. The Northeast Flower Show will once again have Mother's Day flowers, gifts and other items for sale. New additions include local vendors who will sell faux flower bouquets, jewelry and other crafts. "Each year we're hoping it grows," Harbison said. Harbison said it took more than a click of the heels to put the show together. If it wasn't for the heart, brains and courage her staff possessed, the dreams for the display wouldn't have come true. "Our maintenance guys are just unbelievable," she said. "They're like MacGyvers." Harbison said she expects the visitor count to surpass the 1,000 mark it reached last year. Other local retirement communities have already signed up to be bused to the show for the first time. "The people who came in last year were so amazed at what we did," she said. "I can't tell you how man phone calls we've been getting. We hope that more and more people come. We would love to see the schools come. We want to encourage the outside community to come in. This is a nice, lively, vibrant community." The Northeast Philadelphia Flower Show opens at 10 a.m. on Thursday and runs until May 17. It is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Deer Meadows at 215-624-7575.