June 2015

Meeting was opened by President Debbie Thomas at 7:10 p.m.

There were 83 people signed in. 3 new members were present.

Goodies were supplied by Doreen Love, Agnes Wolters, Pam Blanchard and Maura Cooper.

Debbie updated everyone on the following:

Projects: Muddy the Mudcat at the west end of town looks spectacular as the result of a positive partnership with Dunnville Rotary Club. A special thank you goes out to Russ & Tanya Savage of Landscapes by Russ. The design, plants and planting was all donated by them. Your DHS board of directors is working behind the scenes on other ideas such as the floral clock which only has a motor issue and a possible renovation of the fountain at Centennial Park. The large welcome signs at each end of town will have fewer annuals and more perennials in order to save on work and water. Debbie attended some elementary schools to recruit the Grade 8 students to become volunteers when they enter grade 9.

Planting Day: 23 volunteers turned out. Planting was finished by 12:30. All volunteers enjoyed a lunch donated by McDonald’s restaurant. We are still in need of volunteers to assist with weeding . There are 30 flowerbeds that the DHS oversees. Please see Debbie Thomas during the break to sign up and view the list of available beds to choose from. 3 to 4 people per bed would be ideal; you can work on your own schedule.

Mudcat Festival: We hosted a booth at Community Lane. Thank you to the volunteers who manned the booth on April 13th. It was a fun day and we received great coverage in 3 local papers.

Bus Trip: Saturday, September 12th. Trip to Niagara Falls to tour the Botanical Gardens then a visit of 3 wineries to sample Ontario’s finest. Tickets go on sale tonight: $50 per person. Lunch is not included. Please see Deb Zynomirski at the break. Tickets will not be held: first come, first served. You can also call Deb at 416-566-9337 to arrange pick up at the Dunnville Chamber of Commerce on Monday mornings between 10 am and 12 noon when Maura Cooper is there.

Light Up Design Contest: Deadline for entries is July 31st. You can email, snail-mail or drop off your creation at the Dunnville Chamber of Commerce office. The winning design will be constructed by Vic Powell and his team of John Hart and Shaun O’Neill. It will be displayed at Wingfield Park as part of the Chamber of Commerce’s Light Up display at Christmas. The winning designer will receive a “yet to be determined” prize.

There will be NO general meeting in July or August. Our next meeting will be here at the Optimist Hall on Thursday, September 17th. Our guest speaker for that evening will be Sandi Marr. Topic will be “Bringing Fall Beauty to our Homes, Inside and Out”. This will also be our Trillium Awards night and our 2nd annual Flower & Veggie Show.

Nomination forms for Trillium Awards were available at the meeting and are also available at the Dunnville Chamber of Commerce, and on our website. Ballots can be mailed to the DHS at P. O. Box 274, Dunnville, Ontario N1A 2X5 or deposied in the ballot box at the Chamber of Commerce. Nominations will be accepted until June 30th. Judging takes place from July 3rd to July 12th. Volunteer judges are still needed. Please see Gloria Hunter or Deb Zynomirski at the break or after the meeting to sign up.

Our 2nd annual Flower & Veggie Show will be held at the September general meeting as well. Pauline Bradford is chairing this event. Class categories and entry sheets were available for members to take home.

Haldimand County is holding workshops for junior gardeners. Judy Jeffery and Mark and Margaret Bottrell were asked to lead some workshops and they all agreed.

Trivia Question: What comment did Jack Kent make about the new varieties of hydrangeas? They will bloom on new and old wood. Joan King answered the question.

Bruce Burton sold Lester Fretz a greenhouse by advertising it at a recent general meeting. He donated the money that he got to the DHS. Thank you Bruce!

10 minute break for refreshments and snacks.

Guest Speaker: Jeff Bokma spoke to our group about succulents. His talk was very informative. A webcam was used to display his specimens on the wall and it was a great idea. It provided all the members with an excellent view of the plants he brought without anyone having to leave their seat.

The treasurer’s report was accidentally overlooked. It will be reviewed at the September meeting.

The meeting was adjourned by Debbie Thomas at 8:48 p.m.

The winners of the Ways & Means draws were called. Thank you to everyone who donated items—the table was full! Thank you to Betty and Gwen for a great job organizing the Ways & Means. Thank you to Maura and Pauline for manning the kitchen, and to Ian for running the power point.

Have a great summer; see you all in September!

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