Chippewa Garden Club celebrates 75 years
Chippewa Garden Club celebrated its 75th anniversary Aug. 10-11 by presenting a gift of its own to the community – the “Glimmer & Shimmer in the Garden” National Garden Club Flower Show.
The event showcased not only floral designs, but horticulture, botanical arts, photography and educational exhibits, all of which were crafted by CGC members.
Members met approximately 18 months prior to the celebration to begin the show’s coordination, starting with the title, then establishing the division and class titles.
Noreen Butano, the club’s publicity chair, said a schedule was created and given to each member, several of whom crafted presentations describing the show’s many divisions with hopes of enticing other members to join in and select a class or two to enter their creations. One of those meetings featured Vicki Werz of the Cleveland Photographic Society who educated members on the “how-to’s” of photography.
The club hosted more meetings than usual throughout the year, after which posters were printed and distributed around the town to advertise the flower show to the general public.
During the two-day flower show, guests arrived and strolled through the rooms, enjoying the smell of fresh flowers, the beauty of the arrangements, admiring the creativity.
Division 1 featured 5-inch petite designs, underwater 10-inch designs, 8-inch petite designs, monochromatic designs, illuminary designs and creative designs, totaling 24 entries.
Following in Division II, were foliage container-grown plants, flowering container-grown plants, mixed combination planters, container-grown succulents and cacti and hundreds of cut foliage, flowers, herbs, shrubs and tree specimens. This division had 154 entries.
Division III featured the botanical arts, which included decorated shoes, champagne glasses and packages totaling 12 entries. There was a total of 45 photography entries in four classes.
Division IV rounded the show with an exhibit of the history of Squire Rich Herb Garden, which CGC members have been caring for monthly since 1981 and an exhibit on the history of the Greene Acres Community Garden in Broadview Heights from 2013-2024. The CGC was one of the founders Green Acres, and the club contributes to the garden annually. There was also an exhibit of the history of the Chippewa Garden Club from 1949 to 2024.
“[We extend] congratulations to all members who entered a class, along with those who helped in the all the preparation of the flower show,” Butano said. “And a big Congratulations to all members who received ribbons at this flower show. CGC will now await the Garden Club of Ohio, who will present additional awards to the garden clubs in Ohio in the spring of 2025.
For more information, visit ChippewaGardenClub.com, or follow the club on Facebook for garden articles and information on the club’s activities and events. ∞