Garden club ends another successful year
Posted on Wednesday, July 2, 2008
The Bella Vista Garden Club is wrapping up its 36 th year.
Members have declared the 2007-08 year a success, thanks to the support of the community.
The club's two largest events - an annual plant sale in May and a biannual flower show in June - attracted many Bella Vistans, according to organizers.
Plants provide avenues for the club's numerous community service projects and have allowed members to beautify many spots throughout the city. On a regular basis, the group provides plants and grounds upkeep at the U. S. Highway 71 visitor center, the gazebo area at Bella Vista Memorial Cemetery and the Living Memory Garden at the Bella Vista Country Club.
The club took on a new project this year, helping maintain the grounds at the Veterans Wall of Honor.
"The members want to give something back to the community," club President Mary Doyle said. "That's just the type of members we have."
Past projects the club has sponsored include planting trees on Arbor Day at Tanyard Creek and Lake Bella Vista, helping re-landscape areas around the Northwest Arkansas Children's Shelter and working with the Bella Vista Property Owners
The club is currently working with Cooper Elementary School to obtain a grant to establish a nature and butterfly garden at the school site next year.
The garden club does not just focus on events that allow its members to dig in the dirt. Each year, the organization awards scholarships to students in the horticulture department of the University of Arkansas,
Members of the club are drawn together by a desire to give back to the community, but another strong connection point is their love for plants. Many are Master Gardeners, a title that requires completion of a
"With so many different events and projects, it is easy for people to be involved," Doyle said.
The club will resume its regular monthly meetings in September. Members usually gather the fourth Wednesday of the month at United Lutheran Church of Bella Vista, 100 Cooper Road. Social time starts at 11: 30 a. m., followed by refreshments at noon, then the meeting and a program. The public is welcome.
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