Petoskey Area Garden Club to mark 90th anniversary with gala

PETOSKEY — Since 1934, the Petoskey Area Garden Club has been hard at work keeping Petoskey beautiful.

From Pennsylvania Park to the Little Traverse History Museum, the floral efforts of the members can be seen every spring and summer.

“I think a lot of people are unaware of how many gardens we do. We do 10 different gardens in Petoskey,” said Jane Bock. “Our garden club pays for all the flowers that are in them.”

There are currently 81 members in the club, and Bock also noted that they work closely with city crews for all their gardens and planting.

Bock has been a member of the garden club for 10 years. A love of gardening inspired her to join, but she said the camaraderie has been the most rewarding aspect.

“I love the gardens. I had a friend who invited me to join … and so I joined and I have met a lot of wonderful women that I did not know before,” she said. “I think that’s what most of us really enjoy, that it’s a great group of women. We work together and we have wonderful luncheons and with wonderful demonstrations.”

The club maintains several gardens throughout the city, including: the Little Traverse History Museum and the waterfall area in Bayfront Park, the city’s south entrance flower bed, the flower beds in Pennsylvania Park and in the City Center, the Gaslight District flower bed, the Monarch Waystation in the Bear River Valley Recreation Area, the Arlington Park flower bed as well as the hanging baskets on the Mitchell Street Bridge and the flower pots at the Petoskey District Library.

Several of the club’s projects are now landmark locations in the city. For example, they raised funds and built the gazebo in Pennsylvania Park to celebrate their 50th anniversary in 1984. For their 80th anniversary, the club installed a Blue Star Memorial Plaque in Pennsylvania Park.

The Arlington Park location will soon be the future home of the Kitigaan Children’s Garden. Bock said the completion of the garden is still several years away, as the club is in the fundraising phase and searching for grant funding opportunities.

The 90th anniversary gala, set to take place June 24 at the Petoskey-Bay View Country Club, will also serve as a fundraiser for the children’s garden.

“It should be a fun night,” Bock said. “We have music. We have photographers and we will be showing the garden that we are fundraising for. And we’re just celebrating that we’ve been in town 90 years. We’ve got a couple members who have been in the garden club for 50 years. It’s a good group of people.”

So far, Bock said over 100 people are set to attend. Those interested in attending must purchase their tickets by June 10. Bock said tickets can be found online at petoskeygarden.club, from individual members or by sending a check for $75 to P.O. Box 746, Petoskey, MI with a note that the payment is for the gala.

The gala will start at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $75 per person, and the event will also include a live floral demonstration by William Santos of Monarch Garden and Floral Design.

— Contact Jillian Fellows at jfellows@petoskeynews.com.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Petoskey Area Garden Club to mark 90th anniversary with gala