Flower Show Preview Party to Fund Philadelphia Green

PNC presents the Philadelphia International Flower Show, produced by PHS

 Philadelphia, PA --The evening before the world-famous Philadelphia International Flower Show opens to the public on February 28, more than 3,000 fashion forward guests will attend the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s exclusive black tie event on Saturday, February 27.  The 2010 Flower Show Preview Party, to be held in the Grand Ballroom of the Pennsylvania Convention Center, will celebrate the Show theme, “Passport to the World”  and pay tribute to longtime PHS president, Jane G. Pepper who will retire on June 1.  The Preview Party is a charitable event that benefits PHS’s acclaimed urban greening program, Philadelphia Green.

The Saturday event kicks off with a cocktail reception at 6 p.m. among the bountiful garden displays. A sumptuous selection of hors d’ouevres will take inspiration from the different countries that are featured in Show exhibits including Brazil, South Africa, India, Singapore, the Netherlands and New Zealand, and include a signature cocktail known as “The GlobalTini.”

During the cocktail reception, Bollywood dancers and the musical group One, presented by World Café Live,  will entertain guests.

A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held at 7 p.m. near the Show Exhibit Hall entrance, with a 28-foot-tall hot air balloon covered in nearly 80,000 freeze-dried flowers serving as a fitting backdrop to this floral journey around the world. The ceremony will include Mayor Michael Nutter, Jane G. Pepper, president of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society; Drew Becher, president-elect of the PHS, J. William Mills, president of the Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey region of PNC, presenter of the 2010 Show; PHS Council Chair John K. Ball, Flower Show Executive Chair Melinda Moritz, 2010 Preview Party Chair Roberta F. Dranoff, and Preview Party Vice Chair, Linda Galante.

The 2010 Show, which runs February 28-March 7, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center will pay tribute to the gardens, culture and art of destinations around the globe.  For more information and tickets, please visit www.theflowershow.com.

PHS has 16,000 members throughout the country, offers hundreds of educational programs year-round, and is considered the nation’s leading authority on urban renewal through greening. The Flower Show benefits Philadelphia Green, PHS’s acclaimed program that restores neighborhood parks, creates community gardens, conducts large-scale tree plantings, revitalizes vacant land, engages thousands of citizens in community development activities, and maintains treasured public landscapes. As the nation’s largest comprehensive community greening program, Philadelphia Green serves as a model for cities across the U.S.

The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (www.pnc.com) is one of the nation’s largest diversified financial services organizations providing retail and business banking; residential mortgage banking; specialized services for corporations and government entities, including corporate banking, real estate finance and asset-based lending; wealth management; asset management and global fund services.

For more information Contact:
Alan Jaffe at 215-988-8833
Laura Hoover at 215-988-8836