The raffle table was a popular place with people signing up for a chance to win a prize. (Photos by Anthony Richards)

Chilton County Master Gardeners held a “Home for the Holidays” event and teamed up with Butterfly Bridge with a portion of the proceeds benefiting both organizations.

The event was held in Jemison at the home of Master Gardeners Vice President Sondra Henley.

Throughout the home were decorations for Fall, Thanksgiving and Christmas that changed from changed from room to room.

“We have it presented for women who love this kind of thing,” Henley said. “The nice thing is that I don’t have to worry about decorating for the holidays. I can just keep it up.”

A candy table and raffle basket had been set up shortly from where guests entered the house. All the proceeds from these two booths went strictly to Butterfly Bridge.

“We try to partner with 501(c)(3) [non-profit] organizations, and that is who we chose this year,” Henley said.

Raffle ticket winners were chosen every 15 minutes, as Master Gardener Vice President Sondra Henley rang a bell to announce each winner.

A tasting table was available for guests with the menu consisting of cigar rolls with peach salsa, a tasty mini cold skewer, turnip green soup, peach upside-down cake and Lee’s cornbread.

The food was prepared by members of the Chilton County Master Gardeners including the peach salsa, which was made in the ACES kitchen.

Sondra Henley rings a bell to announce a winner in the raffle drawing. A winner was chosen every 15 minutes.

Vendors were a mix of Master Gardeners and other members of the community and included a variety of items for sale such as homemade jewelry, Amish antiques and honey.

According to Henley 200 tickets are normally sold to family and friends, but this year an extra 125 tickets were available to the public for purchase at the door.

Henley has been holding such events in her home on and off for the past 30 years. She has carried it with her wherever she has lived from Mobile, Wetumpka, Alabaster and now in Jemison.

“The lord has always blessed us with good weather,” said Gary Henley, Sondra’s husband.

Although this was the fourth time that she had held the showcase in Chilton County, it has been a couple of years since her most recent gathering.

“We’re always trying to find new ways to get the people of Chilton County involved,” Henley said.

The event requires its share of preparation leading up to the actual day. What makes it more challenging is the fact that the Henley’s must continue living in the house, which means certain steps cannot be completed until the last minute.

“We got up this morning, pulled the sheets up and set up the display,” Henley said. “That was one area that we could not display until we got out of bed.”