A vital part of the HOMEGROWN Village is the skills tent, where you can learn some new tricks related to food, crafting or growing. Today, Maggie Smith of Pine State Flowers brought local, fresh-cut flowers to the skills tent to teach concertgoers how to make their own floral crowns, perfect for a late-summer festival like Farm Aid.

Concertgoers flock to the HOMEGROWN Skills Tent, eager to

make floral crowns with fresh, North Carolina flowers.

Maggie has only owned Pine State Flowers in Durham, NC, for about five months, but she’s already made her mark – her flower shop is the only one in the state to feature all North Carolina local flowers. Most of the time, your flowers aren’t nearly as fresh as you think – they’ve usually traveled thousands of miles from South America to a warehouse before even making it to your local florist. By sourcing all of her flowers from farms within a three-county region of Durham, Maggie has reduced her shop’s carbon footprint and also supported local North Carolina farmers!

Participants eagerly pick their flowers from Pine State’s  locally sourced selection.

Over one hundred concertgoers left the main stage behind for a half an hour early this morning to come make flower crowns. The skills tent was crowded with eager participants, each taking the time to select flowers and put together their own unique headpiece.