f or years, the talk of October in Rappahannock

or years, the talk of October in Rappahannock was the Trinity Episcopal Church’s House Tour and Dned Flower Sale — especially the dried flowers.

Now, that fall event competes with a host of other festivities taking advantage of the throngs of tourists drawn by the county’s spectacular fall foliage, but the dried flower sale remains a perennial favorite. And, for 32 years now, though their original fundraising goal was long ago accomplished, the Episcopal Churchwomen of Bromfleld Parish have continued to produce the more than 500 stunning arrangements which are the centerpiece of the show, vying with the mountains in the colors and hues of their blooms and greenery.

Each year the flower sale attracts not only a loyal local following, but interior decorators and other professionals from the Metropolitan D. C. area. Like bees drawn to the nectar of the summer’s floral bounty, they queue up at the door to the church’s parish hall long before the sale begins Saturday morning. By Sunday afternoon latecomers will look hard to find anything but a few loose petals littering the floor.

The group which selects, grows, dries and arranges the flowers has earned the nickname “The Flower Brigade.” Like most country knowledge and folklore, the secrets of the brigade’s success can’t be found between the covers of a book. They are lovingly and carefully passed down by the brigade’s “old hands” to its newcomers with the sense of tradition which can come only from the familiarity and experience of the years.

The “brigade” nickname, with its suggestion of the military, has more than a casual significance. Each piece of the plan, from early spring up through the marathon sessions to complete the arrangements, is planned with precision. Tasks are assigned and duties requested. There are jobs for all, and all the brigaders know what they must do — and when.

One of the most important tasks — vital to the eventual beauty of the