Beyond the tent and into the community: How the Coronado Floral Association brings art to all

Published by Coronado Times 12/12/2025 written by Megan Kitt

Coronado Gives is raising money for residents and families now through Dec. 31 in partnership with the Coronado Community Foundation, The Coronado Times, and the Coronado Eagle & Journal. Below is a story of community impact.

When Colby Freer was a child, she would watch every year as the tents sprang up in Spreckels Park, waiting for magic.

For more than a century, the Coronado Flower Show has brought its sweeping white tents, intricate floral designs, and a shared sense of community pride to the city. It draws thousands of visitors, too, as the largest tented flower show in the country.

Freer, now the president of the Coronado Floral Association, wants to preserve that magic she felt as a child. “I care deeply about the legacy of Coronado,” she said. “I care deeply about the legacy of the Flower Show, and I like to tell people that we’re building this legacy for their kids, just as others built it for me. I saw this show as a teeny, tiny child and I still remember it today.”

She has spent her tenure as president bringing new innovations to the show, such as transforming the former Flip Flops and Florals volunteer potluck to the beloved 1922 Club, a party that sells out in hours each year.

Now, she’s turned her sights on education. Through Friends & Flowers, the Floral Association hosts monthly community workshops open to all ages and experiences, and she has her eyes set on education for next year’s show. “My biggest mission this year was to bring education to the forefront of the Flower Show,” she said. “We’re not gardeners, per se — there’s a gardening club for that. We’re floral artists, and floral art can be much more approachable than other art forms. People think, ‘I can’t paint,’ but arranging flowers feels accessible. That is why this matters: It creates community.”

Friends & Flowers is fully funded by the CFA and events are free to the public, though capacity is limited. Past workshops have included making floral crowns, pressed-flower candles, and hands-on floral arrangements.

“It’s for everyone,” Freer said. “From a tiny child growing their first plant or pressing their first flower, to adults rediscovering creativity.”

The impact is tangible. At one Friends & Flowers session, a mother and daughter attended to learn more about floral design and later entered their own arrangement in the Coronado Flower Show, earning a ribbon and returning year after year.

“That moment of connection, confidence, and creation,” Freer said, “is exactly why we do what we do.”

As her term as president comes to a close, Freer is considering how to make more of an impact on the CFA and Flower Show. “For years, the education piece was missing at the show,” she said. “People wandered through these beautiful tents — which are magic — but I wanted to help them understand why they were seeing what they were seeing.”

This year, Friends & Flowers will expand into the Flower Show itself through a new initiative called Events in the Tent: a dedicated learning space featuring 30-minute demonstrations, expert talks, and floral education sessions throughout the weekend.

“We’re elevating the experience,” Freer said. “Why are there two plates and two cups in an arrangement? Why are roses judged the way they are? For people who want to learn more, we’re creating that opportunity.”

The space will also create room for other local nonprofits to participate, educate, and share their missions.

“The flower show creates this opportunity to bring nonprofits together and show the community what they do,” Freer said. To read the full article Click Here.

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