In the photo left to right: Sue Angle, Florida
Federation of Garden Clubs Second Vice President;
Christy Linke, Margaret Rodwell, Cassandra banning,
Darcy Stottlemyer and Jan Griffin.
After the unveiling ceremony, during the dedication of the Plant City Veteran's Memorial Park, members of the Plant City Garden Club gathered, with officials from the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs, under the Blue Star Memorial Highway Marker to celebrate the Markers permanent home.
The Blue Star Memorial Highways are series of memorial highways that thread through United States. They were set up to pay tribute to the U.S. armed forces. The program was first started by the New Jersey State Council of Garden Clubs, in 1945 after World War II.; the program was adopted by the National Garden Clubs, Inc., which is now the parent organization. The blue star was chosen as the symbol for the memorial was the same one used on service flags to denote a service member fighting in World War II. The program has since been expanded to include Memorial Markers and Memorial By-Ways. These markers are used in National Cemeteries, parks, veterans facilities, and gardens.
Further information about the park and the Memorial Park and the Blue Star Memorial Highways:
Cassandra Banning (left) & Jan
Griffin (right) preparing for their
trip to Epcot Center.
Jan Griffin and Cassandra Banning are off to Disney World, to be exact EPCOT. Where they are participating in the International Flower Show. They will have an active part in the Flower Show with their floral designs featuring an expedition table. They received the honor of going to EPCOT after their creative floral designs appeared in the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs’ statewide calendar for the year 2011 “It is quite an honor to be chosen for the calendar and then to top it off to be invited to participate in Epcot’s Flower Show”, stated an excited but nervous Cassandra Banning. This was Banning’s first time for both honors; Griffin has participated in the past couple of years. Banning and Griffin were each asked to design an expedition table for EPCOT (an expedition table might look a bit like a display for tables at say Macy’s or Dillard’s). “ Lectures, displays and of course Epcot’s own gardens make for a beautiful show and one not to be missed, and to be a part of it with The Federation’s top designers from all over Florida is really exhilarating”, commented Jan Griffin. Both Banning and Griffin are active members of the Plant City Garden Club.
Jan Griffin's Winning Design
Cassandra Banning's Winning
Design
Plant City Garden Club President Mikie Snyder
presenting the certificate to Drake Futch
Plant City Garden Club presented Drake Futch with a scholarship for $1000.00 during awards night at Plant City High School. Futch plans to major in Forestry with a minor in Natural Resource Conservation starting this fall at HCC. Plant City Garden Club will award a scholarship to a plant City High School senior who is majoring in one of a number of areas such as conservation, environment, forestry, horticulture, botany.
Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Alice in Wonderland
It was a night for fairy tales, magicians, beautiful floral designs and horticulture. Cinderella (Gracelyn Coldwell , Mike and Susanne Coldwell’s 4 year old granddaughter) made a special appearance. Over 150 attended the show and voted for their favorite design.
Margaret Rodwell won the People’s Choice Award with her functional capsule table for one floral design interpreting the wicked Queen’s one poison apple for Snow White. Jan Griffin won the Table Artistry Award for her buffet table design “The Royal Ball” and the Petite Award for her 5 inch design titled “Glass Slipper”. The Designer’s Choice Award was won by Darcy Stottlemyer for her interpretation of Cinderella’s rise from “Rags to Riches”.
Lev Stone won the Horticulture Excellence Award.
The horticulture completion merited several award winners. Five “Award of Merit” winners were presented: Wynona James; Cassandra Banning; Jan Griffin (2) and Lev Stone. The Collection Showcase Award went to Lev Stone.
There were two new awards this year from National Garden Clubs, Inc., they are Grower’s Choice Award for non-blooming plants which went to Sandra Lodato; the Grower’s Choice Award for blooming plants was also won by Sandra Lodato. Liz Miller won the Arboreal Award. The Horticulture Excellence Award was won by Lev Stone for his Bromeliaceae Acanthostachys Strobilacea.
Each year the Garden Club awards the Novice
Award to a new designer who receives a blue
ribbon for his or her design. This year Vivian won
with her table functional table arrangement for 2
titled "Mad Hatter Tea Party".
We had 102 horticulture entries, which is amazing since we had 9 days of freezing temps.
Cassandra Banning, Garden Club President
and Ed Verner, Chamber Chairman of the
Board
Garden Club Members, Jan Griffin, Cassandra
Banning, Liz Miller, Mikie Snyder and
Margaret Rodwell
During the February Chamber of Commerce Contact Breakfast Club meeting, President Cassandra Banning and other members were surprised when The Plant City Garden Club was presented with the Good Egg Award for February during the Chamber of Commerce Contact Breakfast. Chairman of the Board for the Chamber, Ed Verner stated during the presentation that the Plant City Garden Club was selected for not only helping the Parks & Recreation Dept plant 40 trees but also for their other contributions to the community. The Club's donation of scholarships, hosting the horticulture show at the Strawberry Festival, awarding beautification awards to local residents, education of members and public on gardening, floral design, conservation and the environment, civic projects such as the landscaping the new police station, the 1914 building and the veteran's memorial park all added to the criteria for the selection of Good Egg Award. Mr. Verner also stated that this was the first time a club has been selected; this award normally goes to an individual or business who commits to outstanding civic work in the community.