Vice President Rose Marie Cowdrey called the Aug. 22 meeting of the Hillsboro Garden Club to order with members standing for the Pledge of Allegiance and the singing of “God Bless America.” Roll call showed 13 members present, five absent and one guest.
Opening the business meeting, the club dispensed with the reading of July meeting minutes. The August horticulture specimen by Teresa Cudkowicz was a “Turkey Tail” fungus she found that had grown into an attractive mound. After drying it, she painted it with gold paint and used it as a container for an arrangement of fern, cosmos blossom and seed pod of blackberry lily. That just proves there is beauty everywhere in nature. Cudkowicz also displayed her past-champion African violet, a lovely plant in full bloom and covered with two-tone violet blossoms. It was just a week too early for the fair.
A sign-up sheet was passed around for fair hostesses and help with pot-a-pumpkin duties by the flower show chair. The slate of officers for 2017-19 were elected by unanimous vote: president, Nancy Baldwin; vice president, Shelly Rayburn; treasurer, Ruth Anna Duff; and secretary, Jennifer West.
Get well cards were signed for ill members. Treasurer Ruth Anna Duff reminded members she will be collecting monies for dues, regional meeting reservations and sales from the plant auction at the next meeting. The next big affair after the fair is the annual Fall Plant Auction on Sept. 26.
After the meeting was adjourned, Shelly Rayburn provided refreshments of small sandwiches, chips, cupcakes, cookies and drinks to fortify members for the business ahead – cleaning the Floral Hall for the flower shows to be held there during the Highland County Fair.
As the cleaning commenced dust was flying, spiders were running for their lives, display tables got scrubbed and repositioned and most everyone got wet while filling display bottles for the Dahlia Show on Sept. 4. The club actually enjoyed the work and comradery and left knowing it was ready for the fair.
The club hopes to have a good turnout of visitors at its flower shows and pot up lots of pumpkins.
Submitted by Carol Gorby, secretary, Hillsboro Garden Club.
