If you’re looking to hang out in downtown Holden, you’ll have some good company — 26 beautiful hanging flowerpots brimming with gorgeous purple wave petunias.
This beautiful display is the culmination of more than a year of planning and fundraising by members of Keep Holden Beautiful. The flower baskets were installed by the Holden Municipal Light Department during the week of May 18, and since then, Keep Holden Beautiful has received many comments and compliments from Holden residents, business owners, and visitors.
Planning for this project began in December 2025 when, after many meetings, discussions, and brainstorming, the Keep Holden Beautiful committee set a fundraising goal of $35,000.
The first fundraiser inserted a flyer in 3,000 electric bills sent out by the Holden Municipal Light Department, which raised $1,725 in donations. The second fundraiser solicited donations from approximately 60 businesses in town, which raised $23,000. Each business that donated received a shoutout on Facebook and a whiskey barrel filled with flowers placed in front of their business. The largest donors had their business names featured on a new banner that is currently hanging across Main Street.
A fundraising event at McDonald’s on March 17 raised $1,300, including a $1,000 donation from the local franchise owner. The next fundraiser took place at Val’s Restaurant and featured 25 raffle prizes donated from local businesses. Total donations that night were $1,125. As word began to spread, many private donations also began pouring in from town residents and those donations have brought the total amount raised to more than $30,000.
Early this spring, Keep Holden Beautiful researched the proper brackets, flower pots, the best soil to purchase, and the heartiest flowers to choose. In the meantime, Whitetail Greenery, a local nursery in West Boylston, started growing Holden’s flowers so that they would be ready by mid-May.
Keep Holden Beautiful members met with the head of the Holden Municipal Light Department to discuss the height of the brackets, the weight of the flowerpots, and a possible installation date. It all came together during the week of May 18, when light department employees assembled the brackets and installed the beautiful flowerpots.
Alex Bickerstaff of Black Belt Landscaping has agreed to donate his services and maintain the flowers by watering and fertilizing them three times a week throughout the spring and summer seasons. This in-kind donation is worth $6,500! Below is a list of top business sponsors to-date:
Platinum Level Sponsors:
- Black Belt Landscaping
- Perrone Landscaping
Gold Level Sponsors:
- Janice Mitchell Real Estate, Inc.
Silver Level Sponsors:
- Achieve Mental Health and Wellness
- Holden Jewelers
- McDonald's of Holden
- Miles Funeral Home
- Mulroy Dental
- Wachusett Area Chamber of Commerce
- Window Designs Etc.
Keep Holden Beautiful hopes that Holden residents, businesses, and visitors will enjoy the beauty of these hanging flower pots over the next several months. Their next goal is to raise more funds so that they can continue to add more hanging plants along Holden’s Main Street.
If you would like to support Keep Holden Beautiful, please donate today!
