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June 20, 2008
by Pam Wright
Has is really been 80 years? The Chappaqua Garden Club has been beautifying Chappaqua and Millwood since 1928.
This past weekend, on June 13 and 14, the garden club commemorated its 80th anniversary with a Standard Flower Show at the Chappaqua Library.
A steep learning curve for garden club members
For the past year, my co-chair, Nance Greiner and I, have been running workshops educating the membership about the who, what, where and when of flower shows. The last show was presented by the Chappaqua Garden Club in 2001 at the Horace Greeley House, so it was a considerable task get the members up to speed for this one. Hands-on workshops led by our own members as well as experts from other clubs taught flower show novices how to create intricate floral designs consistent with the Federated Garden Clubs rules. Some experienced members, such as Julie Greco, devoted a great deal of her time teaching design principles and explaining the terms of art used in the official Flower Show Handbook.
Last fall, schedules (the Federation’s term for the sets of rules and instructions) for design and horticulture were written and rewritten many times to promote a balanced and interesting show. These schedules were also reviewed and critiqued by experts from the 9th District of New York State Federated Garden Clubs, our local governing body. Once the schedules were approved, they were distributed to all members of the club and used as the basis for the show.
Painting of long-time Chappaqua Garden Club member inspires the look of the show
The cover of the program displayed a painting by Louis C. Raymond, a long-time Chappaqua resident and husband of Louvera Raymond, a perennial Chappaqua Garden Club member. Louvera is depicted in the foreground of the painting. We were lucky to have access to this art work from 1974 and it became the jumping off point for all the graphics relating to the show. It was also the inspiration for the incredibly detailed historical exhibit created by Fran Osborne and Betsy Towl. The 10-panel historical exhibit was displayed in the library’s gallery as an educational exhibit for the show and will move to town hall for continued viewing.
The garden club is fortunate to welcome Henriette Suhr of Rocky Hills as one of our newest members. Suhr’s beautiful display of Rocky Hills’ flowers in 50-year-old glassware graced the main entry to the library.
The flower show drew many exhibitors
A Flower Show is divided into two divisions, design and horticulture. The design division called for a total of 36 floral arrangements to be staged and judged by Federated Garden Club judges. The judges awarded ribbons in all the design classes. Designs ranged from flowers in straw hats to underwater designs.
First time floral designer Erika Miller claimed top prize in the miniatures category with her charming dried flower arrangement in a tiny red mailbox. Miller’s design measured less than three inches in all directions, as required by the rules of this category.
Many club members entered the horticulture division competition with potted plants, terrariums and cuttings from their gardens. Both experienced club members and novices were awarded blue ribbons.
The club hopes to present another flower show in 2009.
Pam Wright is the co-chair of the Chappaqua Garden Club
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