Events and Activities : \'Green Granny\' to discuss upcycled fashion for dolls, Tuesday

The Green Granny is putting on an "upcycled" fashion show for dolls at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 1, at the Benton County Nature Center. The Green Granny is the mother of a good friend of mine. Marilyn Johnson (Granny) of Newhall takes old clothing, blankets, fabric, etc., and turns it into clothing for the standard 18" doll. She makes custom clothes for teams (even Vinton-Shellsburg) or general clothing for the dolls. All the proceeds she receives from the clothing sales she uses to buy fleece and in turn uses that to make blankets for the homeless or families in need. She has distributed these to areas all throughout Benton, Iowa and Linn county. She makes no profit from any of this and only charges money for the clothing so in turn she can use the money to buy the fleece. It is a win-win for everyone concerned. This will be an open house at the Nature Center because it's a good cause and it's also upcycling the fabric vs. throwing it out. For more information, email kphelps@bentoncountyparks.com