Greeley Morning Garden Club was organized and founded in May 1956 by garden lovers and active community volunteers. The club has continuously implemented community beautification, service and education projects in Greeley since its inception. The club is a member of the Colorado Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc. and the National Garden Clubs, Inc. On July 19th, 2016, the Greeley Morning Garden Club held a community open house to celebrate sixty years of gardening and to thank the many community partners and recipients of the club projects over the years. Special recognition was given to a current club member who was one of the founding members of the garden club and who has been and continues to be a significant contributing member over the sixty years the club’s existence, Mary Fagerberg.
The community open house and celebration was planned over several months which included interviews and an extensive article, complete with photos of our garden club members working at one of our school-based projects, printed in the local Greeley Tribune newspaper. The open house was advertised in print, on the radio and by direct mail. Former club members were located and invited as well as members from other Colorado Garden Clubs. The Colorado Federation of Garden Clubs president, Louise Niekerk, attended as well as members of Northern Colorado Garden Clubs. Representatives from local businesses, City of Greeley Forestry department, community non-profits and interested community members pushed event attendance to close to seventy-five.
Greeley Morning Garden Club members presented a slide show of the club’s many contributions toward community projects and displayed club scrapbooks from the many past and current club activities. The scrapbooks, detailing the club’s past sixty years, were a highlight of the day, provoking memories of people, places and a way of life sixty years in the making. They presented an outdoor history of Greeley and, as such, will be placed in the Greeley History Museum for current and future generations to view.
The club provided appetizers, punch and coffee as well as a cake to commemorate the occasion. The club president recognized the many community partners who have graciously supported the club projects. The many gardening projects were also acknowledged and given renewed support by the club president.
It was day of celebration, recognition and renewed support between the Greeley community and the members of the Greeley Morning Garden Club. Cheers to another sixty years of gardening!