What do passionate gardeners do when the ground freezes in winter? Get busy raising funds to support their community gardening activities once spring returns!
The Little Garden Club of Rye (LGCR) was thrilled to once again be able to host its annual WinterGarden luncheon on December 1 at local venue, the Apawamis Club. Themed ‘Home for the Holidays’, the fundraising event featured stunning tablescapes to admire and bid on, a boutique filled with beautiful wares, the wonderful Ashley Whittaker as guest speaker, and a delicious sit-down luncheon.
Amidst the revelry there was a serious purpose to the event, namely the raising of funds to support the many civic activities that the club engages in. Rosario Benavides Gallagher, Community Stewardship Chair for LGCR shared, ‘the Little Garden Club of Rye has an impressive record of Community Stewardship that dates all the way back to its inception in 1931.’
The club currently cares for six civic sites in Rye. Throughout the growing seasons, club members can often be spotted tending these sites and are always happy to chat and answer any questions members of the public have.
In addition, club members enjoy sharing their love of Daffodils with Rye through the donation of hundreds of Daffodil bulb planting kits to elementary and nursery school children, running educational programs, and holding our annual Daffodil event. In November this year, the club partnered with local group, the Friends of Rye Town Park, to plant 22,500 daffodils in Rye Town Park! Click here to see more on this fun project.
Beautification, conservation, historic preservation and promoting a love of gardening lay at the heart of all that the LGCR do, and to support these aims, club members throw themselves wholeheartedly into holding this annual fundraiser.
An exciting feature of the event were the tablescapes, which were lovingly created by members and a few guest designers, all overseen by our phenomenal Club Floral Chair, Chris Duncan. Themes ranged from classic holiday elegance, through to more playful offerings. In addition, the boutique vendors didn’t disappoint, with a range of beautiful homewares, gifts, jewelry and clothing items to tempt and delight attendees.
The highlight of the day came when talented designer Ashley Whittaker took to the floor to speak with engaging warmth about her new book, ‘The Well-Loved House’. Attendees were inspired by her flair for design that blends color, pattern, and detail to create simply beautiful rooms that demand to be lived in.
Afterwards, event co-chairs Kathy O’Hare and Mary Collins commented, ‘we just want to say it was a great team effort and we couldn't have done it without everyone's support! The Little Garden Club of Rye and its members truly are special, and we think that showed on Wednesday’.