BY GINNY GEIGER
Garden Club of the Lakes
If you ever have a time when you are extremely bored and have absolutely nothing else to do, I suggest you Google “National Days/Weeks/Months!” You will not believe some of the over 80 National Holidays, including the 11 you probably already know, and over 2,000 notable observations in America each year.
And there are even some days that have been suggested to add. Since there is Peanut Butter Day and PB&J Day, some believe we need to have Jelly Day. This is truly not a joke.
It has also been suggested that we have Phone GPS Appreciation Day (I would vote for that!), Hair Tie and Bobby Pin Remembrance Day, and Binge-Watching Day. Some of the others are even more “interesting” than these.
If you are having an event on a particular date, just check out what is observed that day, and you can plan your event around that. We did. Our October meeting was on the 12th. That is National Farmer’s Appreciation Day…so our theme was farming and appreciating our abundance of food.
A warning about choosing the observation on your date: If you have an event on January 16, beware. That is officially National Nothing Day! Again, no joke!
First week in June
Among the 2,000 observed days/weeks/months, there is National Garden Week. The Garden Club of the Lakes and garden clubs around the country observed the first week in June in several ways. Marian Norris, the Club’s President, delivered a beautiful bouquet to City Hall that was presented to Charles Van Zant, Jr and received by Ark Natirboff, Front Desk Clerk.
To make our community aware of the week and of our club, a new banner, made locally by Locker Room Athletics, was hung on the fencing outside the Native Plant Garden across from City Hall.
The week’s highlight was a cake and punch celebration at Jackie Host’s home. Jackie has been involved with many facets of garden clubs for several decades.
As the member who served the most terms as president, three two-year terms starting in 2007, Jackie is known for her striving for excellence. She has also held district and state offices.
Because she saw the need for better organization within our club and wanted more members involved, she conceived and implemented most of our standing committees and annual events. (Stay tuned as we share more about them later.)
To honor Jackie for all her dedication to our local club, not to mention her leadership in our state organization (Florida Federation of Garden Clubs), she was presented with two Florida native plants, a focus of our club. One was an Oakleaf Hydrangea, and the other was a Peperomia, which is on the endangered list. Since the hydrangea grows 6-8 feet high, few of us will be alive to see that. Just take the word of some knowledgeable gardeners.
In closing, I want to share some interesting National Days/Weeks/Months Observations: Drinking Straw, Rubber Duckie, Candy, Talk Like A Parrot, Hug A Teddy Bear and Procrastination Awareness. Now, there are some really serious and important ones, too. Please check them out and go celebrate!
