Garden Club Celebrates 100 years

From The Middletown Garden Club
--------------
On May 19, Mayor Daniel Drew and the Common Council will issue a proclamation naming the day Middletown Garden Club Day in recognition of the club’s 100th Birthday.

Events leading up to the day included the April 24 Arbor Day Dedication of 35 trees planted by the club on Washington St., High St. & Veterans Green.

Members and friends will gather at a Gala at St. Clements Castle in Portland on May 15 to mark the actual date that the club began in 1915. The Gala includes a cocktail hour, dinner, music from ten decades and, of course, flowers. Reservations to the black tie optional ticketed event must be made by May 1. Contact Patsy Mylchreest at 860 398-1391 for more information.
On May 16, Armed Forces Day, the club will dedicate a Blue Star Memorial By-Way Marker on Veterans Green. The Blue Star Memorial Marker program was begun by National Garden Clubs, Inc. after World War II and the markers honor all who have served in the Armed Forces. The dedication ceremony is at 11:00 am.

The Club’s final ceremony will be the installation of a bench at the Palmer Taylor nature preserve in Portland on Thursday, June 11 at 5:30 pm. The preserve, which is overseen by the Middlesex Land Trust, was donated by the late Prudence Palmer and her family. Prudence was a Middletown Garden Club member.

The Centennial Celebration started in November with a month-long exhibit at the Middlesex County Historical Society headquarters. Parts of the exhibit, showing the club’s accomplishments and history of community service, continue to be shown, currently at City Hall and beginning May 11 at the Russell Library.