After more than a year of careful restoration, the beloved Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls is officially ready to welcome the public back.
On Monday, August 18, 2025, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m., community members, visitors, and officials will gather near Buckland Town Hall for the official reopening ribbon-cutting ceremony. The event will [...]
The 2nd Annual Bridge of Flowers Art Show and Sale is set to take place on August 17-18, 2024 from 10 AM to 5 PM, with an artist reception on Friday, August 16 from 5 PM to 8 PM. This year's event promises to be a vibrant showcase, featuring over 100 works of art, including paintings, drawings, photography, and fiber art, all created by [...]
Purchase fresh, beautiful flowers while supporting a local landmark. The Annual Bridge of Flowers Plant Sale is happening this Saturday, May 14th, 2022 from 9 AM to Noon. Every year the Bridge of Flowers draws visitors from around the region and further to the Village of Shelburne Falls. People love to come and enjoy the colorful display of [...]
Whether you’ve strolled across the Bridge of Flowers one time or thousands of times, there’s no doubt you felt the heartbreak of the Bridge’s closing last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Thankfully, life is moving on and the Bridge is once again open to its fans! As of June 1, 2021, the Bridge of Flower’s gates were opened for all to enter and surround themselves with the lovely flowers, vines, and blossoming trees that span the bridge.
The Bridge of Flowers was once a trolley bridge, which became outdated when automobile usage increased and freight was more frequently transported across the Deerfield River using the nearby Iron Bridge. The trolley company went bankrupt in 1927, leaving the trolley bridge covered in weeds, unable to be demolished since it carried the water main between the two towns. In 1929, Antoinette Burnham proposed the idea of converting the bridge into a garden and the Shelburne Falls Women’s Club sponsored the project.
For almost a century the bridge has hurdled challenges such as deterioration and flooding due to Hurricane Irene in 2011. However, the community has always stepped up for the bridge and pulled together efforts to raise funds to maintain the bridge and see to it that the plants were always cared for. To this day, the Bridge of Flowers remains a volunteer-run, donation-based project.
Head Gardener, Carol Laliberte DeLorenzo has held her position for the last 20 years, organizing the other volunteer gardeners, known as the Blossom Brigade. Along with her assistant, Elliston Bingham, Carol has made her gardening visions for the bridge a reality. This was made possible through monetary donations from supporters and friends of the Bridge, and through the hundreds of hours spent annually by the Brigade, planting, watering, and weeding the bridge in the early morning hours before the bridge becomes filled with visitors.
If you’re lucky enough to live in the village of Shelburne Falls, you might walk across the Bridge of Flowers on a regular basis, on your way to grab a coffee at Mocha Maya’s, or to pick up some groceries from McCusker’s Market, or maybe it’s part of your daily commute to work. If you’re traveling from farther away, the Bridge of Flowers could be the purpose of your visit, or just the cherry on top to your experience in such a lovely place. Either way, we are all grateful to have the Bridge of Flowers back into our lives this summer. Let’s all show our appreciation by making a donation, either small or large, to the Bridge’s donation box at our next visit or on their website, bridgeofflowersmass.org, and let’s see this magical garden over the river survive another century and more.
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Photo Credit: Bridge of Flower's Facebook Page
The Bridge of Flowers is a landmark in Shelburne Falls which draws visitors each year from all over. Once a trolley bridge, the Bridge of Flowers runs across the Deerfield River, next to the Iron Bridge, connecting the towns of Shelburne and Buckland. A group of volunteers from the community, known as the Blossom Brigade, maintain the [...]
If you stop by Salmon Falls Gallery this month, you will see a special painting on display. “Light Showers” a 42 by 64-inch pastel work has been donated by the artist Peter London for silent auction. The proceeds from the auction will benefit the Bridge of Flowers’ maintenance and upkeep. The bidding started at $500 but London estimates the work to be valued at $2,500.
London has had much success in his career as an artist, becoming internationally known and having his work exhibited in galleries across the country. Him and his wife, Marion, have a home in Shelburne, where she is also a volunteer gardener on the Bridge of Flowers. London has also taught workshops at Rowe Conference Center.
If you are an art lover/collector and want to support the beautiful Bridge of Flowers, Salmon Falls Gallery is accepting bids by telephone, email, or in person at the gallery, 1 Ashfield Street in Shelburne Falls. The bidding will close on Sunday, September 30 at a floral themed gala at the gallery. All are invited to attend and are encouraged to come dressed in “floral finery.” There will be refreshments and live music by Einstein’s Little Homonculus.
Contact Salmon Falls Gallery at 413-625-9833 or salmonfalls@megaplanet.com. Visit them online at www.salmonfallsgallery.com.
This Saturday, August 11, marks the 40th Bridge of Flowers Classic Races in Shelburne Falls. Mike McCusker started the races in 1978 and the 3K Walk/Run and 10K Run have been staple events in the village ever since. Each year thousands of runners come out to compete on one of the toughest courses in New England. The infamous Crittenden Hill [...]
Franklin County is home to Shelburne Falls, a tiny village on the banks of the Deerfield River, composed of parts of the towns of Buckland and Shelburne. There, you can walk across the world famous Bridge of Flowers, an old trolley bridge turned garden. A wide variety of plants and flowers bloom there, planted and cared for by volunteers. Walking across the bridge is a magical experience, seeing all of the brilliant flowers and the views of the Deerfield River.
The Bridge of Flowers Committee, initiated by the Shelburne Falls Area Women’s Club, manages and fundraises for the bridge. This Saturday, May 19, the Bridge of Flowers Committee will host their annual plant sale. From 9 am to noon, stop by the Village Green at the corner of Water and Main Streets in Shelburne Falls and browse the annuals and perennials for sale. There will also be other local vendors. All of the proceeds benefit the Bridge of Flowers. So come out and support this beautiful landmark of Shelburne Falls.
Visit the Bridge of Flowers website and like them on Facebook!
The 39th Annual Bridge of Flowers Road Race is this Saturday, August 12 – less than a week away! For almost 40 years, this event has been a staple of Shelburne Falls. Over a thousand runners come from near and far to compete in either the 3K Walk/Run or on one of the toughest 10K courses in New England. The course starts on the Iron Bridge, overlooking the Bridge of Flowers, and then winds through the village of Shelburne Falls, back over the Deerfield River, up the infamous Crittenden Hill (also known as Heartbreak Hill!), up Route 112, and then back down to the village. The course’s figure 8 loop makes it viewer-friendly. So even if you can’t brave Heartbreak Hill, you can come out and cheer on the runners.
Over 130 volunteers make this event possible. They can be spotted in their brightly colored race shirts directing traffic, setting up the finish line, serving food, timing the runners, and more. Some of the volunteers come from one of the five charities supported by the race. This year’s supported charities are DIAL/SELF, Cancer Connection, The Art Garden, Friends of Children, and Academy at Charlemont. The race is also a fundraiser for the Greater Shelburne Falls Area Business Association, who coordinates this event.
If you haven’t already registered for the race, online registration is open until Wednesday, August 9 at ShelburneFalls.com. Runners get a free race shirt, spaghetti dinner on Friday night, and access to the post-race party/awards ceremony; plus other free goodies donated by sponsors. Speaking of sponsors, Coldwell Banker Upton-Massamont Realtors is proud to be a sponsor of this wonderful race, which brings so many new people to our beautiful village. Look for our logo on the mile markers along the racecourse. Good luck to all the runners!
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