When the phrase, talk the talk and walk the walk comes up, no one fits that description more than Laura and Jim Sniff, the owners of The Picket Fence Floral, Gift & Garden Center in Chillicothe, Illinois and they also own and operate The Blue Ridge Community Farm.
Scroll on down to see what I’m talking about here. Everything will make sense soon, I promise!
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Picket Fence Floral, Gift & Garden Center
It all starts here at the Picket Fence Floral, Gift & Garden Center in Chillicothe, Illinois.
As you can see, this is a spacious gift and floral store with a lot of unique and fun inventory inside of it.
There’s owner Laura Sniff, who explained to me the unique twist of this store that I hinted to in the introduction of this post.
Laura, along with her husband Jim have a son who’s autistic and he’s 22-years-old. Like so many special-needs people his age, he was having trouble finding a place of employment.
So, a few weeks ago, Laura and Jim bought the Picket Fence to keep a local business alive and to employ their son and other special-needs people in the area.
Like I said, they talk the talk and walk the walk! What a noble thing to be doing!
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Gifts
Not only is this place of business going to be a hub for special-needs people to find employment, they also stock gifts and products made by people with special needs.
All of these products were made by people with special-needs and they are all quality gifts and when you purchase them, it helps keep these people busy and gives a nice purpose to their lives. And you get a nice gift item, so everyone wins!
Here’s other products on display in the gift section of the store.
Laura said they try and stock almost all 100% U.S.A. made items in here.
As you can see there’s a wide array and selection of gift items, clothes, jewelry and cards for every occasion on display in this spacious store.
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Floral
In addition to gifts, they have a large floral department in here with flowers and plants of all kinds to choose from.
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The Staff
There’s a fun and friendly staff of people working here to answer any questions and help you out with your local Chillicothe shopping experience.
From the top: Pam Murphy, Rachael Waldron, Katie Fitch and there’s Laura with Mason Placher.
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Garden Center
If you have a garden or want to start one, they have several greenhouses stocked with plants and items for a new garden or greenery to add to an existing one.
As we went back to the gift store, I noticed a t-shirt and sign that will help us segue into the second part of this post.
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BLUE RIDGE COMMUNITY FARM FALL CONCERT SERIES
This is Jerry Kolb, the former COO of WTVP here in Peoria, who’s working with the Sniffs on a concert series at their farm in Chillicothe.
He’s driving us out to the farm and the site of these upcoming outdoor shows.
Here we are at Blue Ridge Community Farm and there’s Jerry with Laura’s husband, Jim.
This farm, like the Picket Fence, is devoted to finding jobs and careers for special-needs people in Chillicothe and neighboring towns.
Jim and Jerry were going over the logistics for the first show which happened on Sunday August 29th.
Jerry told me they had a nice crowed of over 200 people for that show, but the grounds can safely hold over 400 people.
There’s still three shows coming up with great bands and talent and they’re all hosted by the well-known, popular and talented local musician and songwriter, Sarah Marie Dillard from Sarah & The Underground.
It’s so spacious and lovely out here. People are encouraged to bring blankets and their own refreshments for the shows out here.
There’s the band stage at the bottom of the hill, let’s walk down there.
There’s the flatbed stage and I took a shot of Jerry and Jim from down at the bottom of the hill.
This is such a beautiful spot to chill out and watch live music from.
And these concerts are free! You heard me right, these are FREE concerts!
You just need to get a ticket by clicking here, so they can keep track of the crowd.
Donations are happily accepted and there are commemorative shirts for sale at the show.
Check out all the information about this fun and unique local concert series by visiting their website: Blue Ridge Community Farm.
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The Picket Fence Floral, Gift and Garden Center
310 N. 4th Street
Chillicothe, Illinois
309-274-5414
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21529 N. BlueRidge Road
Chillicothe, Illinois
309-249-2499
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