by Gwen Collins
On Wednesday, March 6th Chipley Garden Club members held their monthly meeting at the Washington County Public Library. Club President Debbie Mitchell was saddened to report of the passing of a long-time club member, Josephine McGlamery.
Items up for discussion at this meeting were 2019 FFGC Spring and Fall District Meetings, attending the Washington County Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet, and new program themes for the 2019-20 club year .
Youth Chair Linda Pigott recapped the club’s visit to Kate Smith Elementary School to assist students with Live Floral Designs. She noted, “We want the live designs to be fresh as possible, so we wait until the last possible moment. And, once again, the children amazed us with their designs.”
During the event, club members provided classroom instruction and sat up a “design studio” complete with an assortment of mugs filled with dampened oasis, snips, and a large variety of cut live greenery.
Kirby Holt donated chrysanthemums to be used as focal points in the designs. When the designs were completed, they were transported to the Agriculture Center, entered in the 4-H Youth Fair, and judged by Washington County Master Gardeners.
As a side note Linda Pigott remarked, “Once again Kirby provided an abundance of free flowers! Club members used the leftovers to create several floral arrangements that added a pop of color to the youth fair displays.”
In other business:
- The annual English Tea date has been set for May 4.
- Officer nominations for the 2019-20 club year were accepted with no changes.
- It was reported that native plants have been ordered for Falling Waters Beautification project and would be delivered following the meeting.
- Debbie Mitchell announced the March Yard of the Month has been awarded to Chipley Mayor Tracy Andrews.
Following a short devotion and luncheon, club members welcomed City of Chipley Police Chief Scott Thompson as guest speaker.
Chief Thompson presented a program on protecting yourself from fraud and ID theft. He discussed “those phone calls” stating the IRS will not call you, “638” is not necessarily a local call, you probably don’t know anyone in jail in a foreign country, never give your PIN number to anyone, and never give out personal or financial information over the phone. He also touched on “skimmers” at gas stations, being aware of our surroundings, and reporting any suspicious behavior.
The next Chipley Garden Club meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 3rd at Falling Waters State Park. The club welcomes new members and visitors at anytime during the year. If you would like more information about club activities or projects, please contact Club President Debbie Mitchell at 638-0536.