The 2005 version of Edmonds in Bloom will kick off Saturday, April 30, with the annual Spring Gardening Festival in downtown Edmonds.

The event offers something for everyone, with children’s events, arts and crafts, advice from experts in the Washington State University Master Gardeners program, live music, wine tasting, great prizes, and plenty of shopping opportunities.

Festival hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and activities are planned throughout the downtown area.

Budding young gardeners are encouraged to plant containers with flowers as colorful living gifts for Mother’s Day at Old Milltown for a $5 fee for the plants and pot. Also, 60 children ages 6-12 will have the opportunity to build a free birdhouse with help and materials courtesy of Home Depot.

Arts and crafts activities will be offered at Edmonds Bookshop, Teri’s Toybox, C’est la Vie, Kindred Circle and The Muse stores. The Edmonds Floretum Garden Club will mark the occasion with its annual plant sale.

Edmonds in Bloom officials will be handing out “Bloom Books.” These books list all the “Friends of the Festival,” and specials being offered in individual shops.

Visitors will also have an opportunity to enter to win one of three professionally designed garden pots. Each of these potted gardens is unique, reflecting its designer: gardening enthusiast Barry Tharp, horticulturalist Gary McLaughlin, and The Edmonds Floretum Garden Club.

Edmonds in Bloom is celebrating its 10th year. A non-profit community organization, Edmonds in Bloom is dedicated to increasing color and beauty within the community, promoting civic pride, and encouraging economic development. The organization not only hosts the annual Spring Festival, it also conducts a floral competition each year in July and a garden tour that features Edmonds’ most beautiful backyards.

The major sponsors for this year’s Edmonds in Bloom Spring Festival are the Edmonds Journal, Home Depot and the Greater Edmonds Chamber of Commerce. Friends of the Festival, to date, include Angels of Edmonds, Arista Wine Cellars, Banner Bank, C’est la Vie, Coldwell Banker Bain, Comstock Jewelers, Designer Consignor, Edmonds Bakery, Edmonds Bookshop, Edmonds Flower Shop, Gallery North HOUSEwares, Garden Gear, Interiors of Edmonds, Kinder Britches, Kindred Circle Art Gallery, Mu Shoe, The Muse, Nama’s Candy Store, Olives Cafe &Wine Bar, Red Twig, The Papery, Purple Pelican, Sapphire Boutique, The Savvy Traveler, Sound Styles, Teri’s Toybox and The Wooden Spoon. All Friends of the Festival are included in the Bloom Book.

For more information, call (425) 771-2631.