The Pelham Preservation and Garden Society will host its 21st Annual Garden Party fundraiser Saturday from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. The party, which is always held at places in town with beautiful green spaces and historical significance, will be hosted this year in Chester Park on the green.

Drinks, music and food will be catered by the newly opened Pizza Fenice. There will be a 50/50 raffle.

“I hope people will come and support it,” said Aimee Linn-Kaplan, chairwoman of the society. “Sometimes we fill a niche where government sometimes doesn’t have the funding for specific things that crop up.”

The fundraiser is one of the only sources of revenue for the society and allows it to undertake an array of beautification and restoration projects around Pelham. The group has maintained hanging flower beds and plant baskets in public spaces, implemented a native tree-planting program and refined the landscaping at the train station. 

Beyond environmental projects, the garden society created a “Pelham By Design” book collection to assist Pelham homeowners in restoring their homes while keeping historical aspects of the structures.

“When you look at Pelham, it’s a very small footprint and the green spaces are vital to our quality of life,” said Kaplan. “It really is what sets us apart from some of the busier areas around us. Preserving our tree canopy plays a role in our quality of life as well as mitigating climate change and some of the water runoff issues that we face.”

The mission of the Pelham Preservation and Garden Society  is to “foster an understanding and appreciation of the architecture, historic structures, natural beauty and aesthetic character of the Town of Pelham and surrounding areas,” according to its website. 

“Our role is really important and the community has always supported us really well in the past because I think they see that,” said Kaplan. “You might think, in times when people are struggling, that beautification projects may seem silly. They aren’t because they provide joy and give us an elevated sense of the enjoyment of living in Pelham.”

In the near future, the society plans to work more on masonry in Chester Park and hopes to host teachable events for children about architecture. It also organizes volunteer-led park cleanups periodically.

The fundraiser costs $65 and is open to the public. Click here to buy tickets.