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| A gorgeous fall scene at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Photograph by Stacey DeLuca |
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President's Letter
Dear KGC Friends,
It's Thanksgiving season! I don't like getting ahead of the holiday by focusing on Black Friday, Christmas card lists and the like, but instead really like to cherish and celebrate what Thanksgiving is: giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and for the preceding year.
Like you, I'm thankful for my family, friends, health, glad blessings, and good fortune. In short, I'm very thankful for Kenilworth Garden Club and the friends that it has brought me, not only in the club but in the greater community.
I'm also grateful for the opportunities that KGC has given me and for the "continuing education" that I receive on a plethora of subjects-some not really flora related at all. I'm especially thankful that Carole Read, Heather Blackwell and Wendy Yamada included me in a group of girls on a long ago KGC housewalk. It literally planted the seed decades ago.
Thank you to each and every one of you who has made my life so special, and who has given me gifts that you'll never realize-and that I'm always discovering. I am thankful for you and KGC.
I'm also thankful for our fantastic Program Chair, Elizabeth Dugan, and Assistant Program Chair, Kelly Chestnut. They have put together a November program that will be the talk of the village. Nancy Chase will be demonstrating holiday floral designs. She is the hottest floral designer in the area, having received raves for her Neapolitan store opening décor.
We are trying something new and will be hosting Kenilworth residents at our November 16
th program. And please bring as many guests as you'd like! We have plenty of room! We are at the Kenilworth Assembly Hall - and I'm thankful that the KPD acquired the KAH this summer just in time for our program!
Haven't you enjoyed meeting new KGC members over the years and aren't you thankful that they joined us? Right now is a great time to send Jeanne Daniel, our Membership Chair, an email suggesting a friend for KGC membership. That's all it takes to get the process going. Why not take a short break from this newsletter and send a quick email to Jeanne right now. A few sentences about your friend, her interest in what we do, etc., is all that's needed. She's at
Daniel.Jeanne777@gmail.com Jeanne will guide you through the process.
I'm thankful for Terri Lorenz, our Floral Design Chair. She has been hard at work planning the floral workshops! The next one is November 3 featuring KGC's Floral Judge, Lyn Little. Watch your inbox for the invitation.
I'm also thankful for Tina Rice. She has been busy sorting through changes in our current outreach projects. I'm grateful that she's willing to try to figure out what our community needs as our world changes. Please plan to attend our upcoming Outreach projects: tree decorating followed by lunch at Misericordia on November 18 and JourneyCare floral arrangements on
December 8. They will put you in the holiday spirit, and feed your soul, too.
I'm thankful for Mary Lois Hakewill. She has found KGC a Founders Fund candidate. KGC is long overdue and we can no longer rest upon our Buehler Enabling Garden laurels any longer. I'm grateful that Emily Macdonald, Barbara McDonough, Joan Dodson and Stephanie Keehn have volunteered to assist with the application.
And I'm really, really thankful for Chris Wiedrich and Kelly Chestnut-new members who have taken on BIG jobs. They are excelling, and are a complete and total joy! Thank you!!
I'm also hopeful about one thing, too: that all of us will enter Show of Summer. The schedule is out and can be downloaded from this
link for from the KGC website. You should have also received it in an email last week. I've secured print copies as well. Please let me know if you would like one.
Most of all, I'm thankful for each and every one of you. You have made my life so rich and joyful. Thank you for your gift of friendship.
With sincere gratitude and love,
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Upcoming Events
Welcoming the Holidays with the Best of Today's
Floral Designs and MORE!
Wednesday, November 16 -- 9:30 a.m.
Kenilworth Assembly Hall, 410 Kenilworth Avenue, Kenilworth
Come and help us welcome the residents of Kenilworth to this presentation. Guests are encouraged. Please include guests' names in your Evite RSVP. This will be a great program and put all of us in the holiday spirit!!
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Please join
Kenilworth Garden Club
for some Holiday Cheer!
Sunday, December 4
5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
at the home of Tina Rice
2408 Elmwood Avenue
Wilmette, Illinois
RSVP to the Evite that you will receive, or to Kelly Chestnut -- kchestnut03@comcast.net or 847/924-2036
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Reading & Interpreting a Flower Show Schedule
Thursday, November 3 -- 9:30 a.m.
Host: Terri Lorenz
2326 Iroquois Rd, Wilmette
Featuring our own Lyn Little. Please RSVP to the Evite if you have not
already done so. Hope to see you there!
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November Board Meeting
Monday, November 14 -- 10 a.m.
Church of the Holy Comforter Parish Hall
222 Kenilworth Ave., Kenilworth
Please let Lenore know if you have a committee report or any items for the agenda at mail@macdonald.info or 847/835-3335. Watch your inbox for minutes from the October meeting and contact Beth Glass with any corrections at coglass@comcast.net.
Holiday Decorating, Fellowship & Shopping
Friday, November 18 -- 9:30 a.m. Decorating, 11:45 a.m. Lunch
Misericordia, 6300 N. Ridge Rd., Chicago
For more information, see the invitation in the Outreach section.
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Children At Play: The Schedule Has Arrived!!
It's here! You should have received your copy of the Show of Summer Children At Play schedule last Friday. This year, the chairs decided that it should be sent electronically. We have arranged for paper copies for those who want them, so please let Lenore know.
Take some time to review the schedule and decide what you'd like to enter. Enter early and often!!! Lyn Little will be giving a workshop this month about reading a schedule, and we'll also be practicing our floral arranging skills. Watch your inbox for other workshops and educational opportunities.
We would like everyone to enter the show! Now is a great time to purchase a houseplant to enter. It's that easy. Just check Division II (Horticulture) for what you can enter. Also, if you are doing fall plantings, check Division II for cutting categories. Perhaps you'll find an great reason to plant some new perennials
and shrubs!
Find a KGC friend and create an arrangement! Class I has some fun floral design opportunities and an exciting club challenge! Let's be kids again and have some fun!!
Need help? We have plenty! Contact Terri Lorenz (terrilorenz@gmail.com) with your Division I (Floral) questions. Likewise, Heather Blackwell (hrb1055@gmail.com) and Joan Dodson (joandodson@gmail.com) will help you with Horticulture (Division II). Photography? Contact Cristy Laier (laier@sbcglobal.net). BTW, Shelley Galloway and Stacey De Luca wrote the
Photography schedule! Questions on interpreting the schedule? Call Lyn Little (847/920-5991), Nancy Kurz (847/446-7680) or Carole Read (480/219-5241). Or, you can always contact Lenore Macdonald (mail@macdonald.in).
Be ready to enter on January 2!! Don't procrastinate!!
Click here to access our Google doc link to the SOS Schedule
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Yellow Tracker Executive Director Wendy Irwin (left) with members Sharon Hayes, Mary Lois Hakewill, Heather Blackwell and Stephanie Keehn
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On October 19, Kenilworth Garden Club invited long-standing member Heather Blackwell to introduce the club to an exciting venture in which she's involved - the Yellow Tractor Project (YTP). Heather and her colleague Wendy Irwin, Co-Founder and Executive Director of YTP, spoke about their mission to build healthier communities by teaching the importance of nourishing bodies with healthy and safely grown food. Their tagline is simple: Grow Good Food. Wendy noted that food gardens help us return to a simpler time when our country was more self-sufficient, and that yellow is the color of hope.
The Yellow Tractor Project, a 501(c)(3) organization, works to empower people everywhere to grow their own fresh, healthy food easily and affordably. YTP provides all necessary materials to build raised garden beds as well as high quality soil, compost and plants. Participants also receive the training needed to create a sustainable garden.
Through the simple act of creating a garden, YTP allows individuals to improve their health, nutrition, and well-being. This is especially important in disadvantaged areas or "food deserts." This project also builds community while it brings food to those in need.
YTP partners with non-profits in disadvantaged areas to bring the raised bed organic gardens right into the neighborhoods. They work with unemployed men and women, and other underserved and overlooked people in economically challenged neighborhoods such as Englewood, The gardens are built, planted and then tended and harvested by those who need healthy food the most. They receive the tools, education and inspiration to serve themselves and to sustain this success.
As a way to provide a constant source of funding for YTP, the founders created Yellow Tractor, LLC. This social enterprise brings garden bed projects to businesses and corporations as a source of corporate wellness. These organizations pay for the materials and assistance needed to create the gardens and in return receive continued support and wellness education for all employees. The garden has become a new type of corporate gym.
Some corporate gardens are located on Chicago's "Magnificent Mile" with the raised beds growing along famed Michigan Avenue and top of the iconic Wrigley Building. Employees maintain the gardens, with post-installation advice and guidance from YTP. Each month
The Scoop e-newsletter provides nutritional recipes and other valuable information, and businesses can take advantage of live and web-based workshops.
Businesses and service-oriented non-profits like KGC can also partner with YTP to install the gardens in these underserved communities. For example, Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management students partnered with YTP for "1Day2Change," to install gardens in 11 underserved neighborhoods in Evanston and Chicago. Some of these participants were so inspired by this work that, after graduation, they invited YTP to partner with their employers to install gardens at their corporate campuses, thus expanding YTP's impact.
Wendy co-founded YTP after losing several family members to disease caused by a toxic environment, a byproduct of local industry in her Texas hometown. The deaths of her relatives and neighbors were caused by the tainted soil, water and food, and Wendy decided to honor her family members by working to get good, safe food to all. In fact, the garden beds are purposely raised to ensure that there is minimal environmental contamination from the ground beneath. Wendy's story is very compelling, and her high level of enthusiasm and commitment to the project is very inspirational.
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Show of Summer Committee News
The organization of all the committee reports was impressive, - and most interesting was the news of a website launch for Show of Summer! On the website will be the schedule, registration, judges information & preview party. Registration can be printed and mailed, or filled out on-line. The preview party will have a Pay Pal option for payment, as well as a paper invitation sent via snail mail.
A website developer has been hired to create it and maintain the website. Going forward, the continuity of Show of Summer information sitting in one place will be such a help from show to show. The website address is showofsummer.org.
--
Elizabeth Drake
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October was a busy month for the Floral Design Committee. We hosted two workshops that focused on The Elements and Principles of Design. We held one during the day and one in the evening. A total of 16 members attended. Our own Shelley Galloway spoke to us about the various elements and principles and then we practiced! Everyone produced gorgeous designs. Here are a couple of examples:
Cristy Laier and Helen Balch were on the hook for October's Monthly Meeting arrangements and the results were spectacular! Because our speaker was representing The Yellow Tractor Project, whose mission is to install productive vegetable gardens around the city, the arrangements all had produce incorporated into them. Sometimes the produce WAS the container. Great job ladies!
Look out for the evite for our next workshop "Interpreting a GCA Flower Show Schedule" led by the very talented Lyn Little on Thursday November 3.
-- Terri Lorenz
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You Get What You Pay For!
KGC pays nothing for our great Evite service. Evites have changed the way we do business as a club. No more postcards, no more RSVP's by hand. Instead, technology magically delivers our invitations (designed by Leslie North) and with a few clicks all of us are RSVP'd.
Since we don't pay anything, Evite takes the liberty of sending us emails during the month. One especially bothersome one asks us to upload photos from the past meeting, workshop or event. Please IGNORE those requests.
And, please do RSVP to those Evites. Our hostesses need an accurate headcount so we have sufficient vittles, libations and seating.
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The Outreach Committee is...
COLLECTING Holiday Lights & More!
Might you have a DONATION?
On November 18th, the Outreach Committee will once again be making the McAuley Residence's Courtyard at Miscericordia merry and bright with holiday cheer. Might you have any extra holiday lights (white or multicolored), large red bows, garland, outside extension cords or timers that you would like to donate for this effort? If so, please contact Tina Rice by November 13th at tinarice@me.com
or 847/302-3593 and she will gladly arrange for a prompt pick-up of your donation. Many thanks for your help!
Last year KGC members (l to r) Tina Rice, Martha Spaulding, Barbara McDonough, Joan Dodson and Jeanne Daniel bundled up on a crisp November day and decked McAuley Residence's Courtyard with festive lights and bows...a tradition we will continue this year!
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'Tis the Season to Give
Please join the Outreach Committee for
Holiday Decorating, Fellowship and Shopping
Friday, November 18th
Miscericordia, 6300 N. Ridge, Chicago
9:30am Lend a hand decorating the
McAuley Residence Courtyard
11:45am Enjoy a "Dutch treat" casual lunch
at The Greenhouse Restaurant
Get a headstart on your holiday shopping
at Heartstrings Gift Shop
Come to all or part of the activities. Anyone interested in joining us for lunch, please email
tinarice@me.com
by Nov. 16th so we can ensure enough spots are reserved at the table. Proceeds from the restaurant and gift shop benefit Miscericordia. Remember, many hands make for little work and more time for merriment and shopping!
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Ware Garden
Our season for working at Ware Garden is over now! Sixty percent of our regular members worked at the Garden this season. Some members have already paid; members who do not work will be billed. For those who have not worked or paid, there may be an opportunity to help "put the garden to bed" later in November, so keep your eyes open for announcements or call Wendy Yamada. Thank you!
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Bottlebrush Buckeye in Fall
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Our newly planted natives are coming along fine. Two that were planted last year turned out to be different than what we were told we were getting. These have recently been identified -- one is an aster, Smooth White Field Aster; and the other is Cinnamon Willow-Herb, a member of the Primrose Family. Eventually, we will have a map and would like to have ID's for many of the plants -- so this was important information.
As you walk or drive by the corner near Ware Garden, notice the new plantings in the concrete planters. Wendy switched out some of our summer plants and replaced them with fall blooming plants!
We already have a "to-do" list for next season - so see you next year at Ware Garden!
--
Sara Morgan, Barbi Paine, Elizabeth Dugan, Wendy Yamada
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Step Up to Address
Climate Change
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For more than a hundred years, GCA club members have thoughtfully taken on environmental challenges, improving the health and quality of life for people and plants. This fall, the GCA is launching the Step Up initiative to address climate change, offering a menu for participation by every club member
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Read a simple explanation of the greenhouse effect in the new issue of ConWatch. Learn how members have been inspired to take action, and be surprised by the life cycle of paper, a product we use every day.
National Affairs & Legislation
The 2017 National Affairs & Legislation Washington Meeting invitations will be in Washington DC Monday, February 27, through Thursday, March 2. Conservation leaders will address us on Tuesday, focusing on the impact of climate change. On Wednesday, key legislators setting policy on energy, agriculture, clean air and water, climate change will speak. On Wednesday evening, award-winning producer, director, and cinematographer Louie Schwartzberg will present and discuss his pioneering time-lapse photography capturing the mysteries of our evolving environment. Thursday, delegates simultaneously will visit with their congressional representatives to discuss environmental issues most pertinent to the GCA and its member clubs.
The Kenilworth Garden Club is looking for a volunteer to represent us at the meeting. It's a fabulous opportunity - let Lenore or me know if you would like to go.
--Ann Jones
Who Says You Can't Visit Four National Park Service Sites in Under Six Hours?
Who knew that one can visit at least four National Parks Service (NPS) sites in half a day? We decided to celebrate the NPS Centennial by visiting Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.
We left from Taos, NM around 8 a.m. on August 25 and headed west then north towards one of the newest NPS sites, the Rio Grande Del Norte National Monument, continuing on through the San Juan National Forest to our destination, Great Sand Dunes National Park National Park and Preserve in southern Colorado.
We were not disappointed! These are the tallest dunes in North America. The Dunes are the centerpiece in a diverse landscape of grasslands, wetlands, conifer and aspen forests, alpine lakes, and tundra. It was both spectacular and surprising to come up on them. The landscape is constantly changing as the sands are always shifting, eroding, building and being created from erosion. From Indians to conquistadors to westward expansion scouts to homesteaders to gold rush prospectors to socialites -- many people from different eras have valued Great Sand Dunes; some have even given of their time and energy to preserve them. The ladies of a nearby PEO group started the preservation initiative in the 1920s and NP status was granted quickly. The park is an oddly beautiful combination of desert dunes and high mountain peaks, with a creek flowing through. Yes, you must ford the creek to hike the dunes!
After a hiking the dunes, we started back to Taos, traveling through the Kit Carson National Forest. Had we been more ambitious, we could have easily visited more NPS sites, but we were on vacation! We were back mid-afternoon with time to spare before witnessing the sun setting behind the Rio Grande.
--Lenore Macdonald
Book Review
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Want to plan your own trip to one of our nation's beautiful national parks? Lonely Planet's National Parks of America is the perfect planning guide. It tells readers where to stay, what to do, and which plants and animals to spot. It also provides itineraries and details the best places to hike.
As John Muir, writer and advocate for wilderness preservation once wrote, "Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity."
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The Kenilworth Club is now operated by the Kenilworth Park District. They have new programs in place and are active in considering suggestions from the community for even more programs.
The new costs per hour to rent the space are very consumer friendly. There is a more professional approach to club issues and upcoming needed repairs to the facility are being/will be addressed.
There was a Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday, October 25th at the Kenilworth Assembly Hall. Among the topics covered were the "future" of volunteering. The garden clubs of Kenilworth and Beautification already play a major role in the care of the public lands, but there is still more room for volunteering by groups and individuals.
The Village of Kenilworth's 125th anniversary is approaching. How this will be commemorated is under discussion. As a way to mark this anniversary, organizations and residents can donate trees. A professionally-produced movie about Kenilworth is now available for purchase.
Ways to keep Maggi Park maintenance to a minimum is being researched.
The Memorial Garden by Village Hall needs volunteers to help keep it looking beautiful. Suggestions for new plantings, when needed, are welcome.
--
Cheryl Anderson, Civic
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Charlotte Walsh
Why did you join KGC?
I've long admired the KGC and its members and was thrilled to be invited to join. I love the educational focus combined with the social aspects of the Garden Club. I'm a country girl at heart, though I've been in a city or suburbs since college, but my gardening roots go back to my childhood. I'm excited to extend my learning of all aspects of gardening, horticulture, sustainability, flower arranging, etc.
What is your KGC area of interest?
I don't think I could pick a single area. I'm excited to immerse myself in all that KGC has to offer.
Who is your mentor (inside or outside of KGC)?
Definitely, Lenore Macdonald and Heather Blackwell for gardening and education and Leslie North for flower arranging.
What are your interests outside of KGC?
Though we are almost emptynesters (in just another year), raising our girls, Callie and Annabel, has been a big focus. I also work outside the home in investment management marketing for a firm in Boston. Spending time working with young professional women is a passion, particularly as they orient themselves toward life as a professional and as young mothers. Dan and I also love to snow ski, sail, and travel.
Tell us something we may not know about you.
I grew up in a small town of 3,000 surrounded by a green belt. Farming and gardening were integrated in the small, but socially liberal college town in Ohio where I spent my childhood. We used a small riding lawn mower to cut our grass and my father especially adored growing fruit and vegetables, including "exotics" such as chestnuts, soybeans, grapes, and Japanese cucumbers, eggplant, and herbs (which weren't available commercially at the time). In honor of my father, and with the help of my mother, I am growing a peach tree and figs!
What is your favorite plant or flower?
Hydrangeas
What is your favorite season?
Late spring/early summer as all living things are going through the cycle of rebirth and growth.
How would you describe your gardening style?
Hoping to achieve a more defined style!
What is your best gardening tool?
A Japanese weeding sickle called a Nejiri Kama - makes quick work of those tiny weeds!
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Need Holiday Gifts?
We have 2 copies of Bettie Bearden Pardee's spectacular coffee table book,
Living Newport, and about 10 copies of
Homegrown, our club cookbook.
Living Newport is $75 and the cookbooks are $25 each or five for $100. Please contact Lenore at
mail@macdonald.in or 847/835.3335 to purchase.
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An edited version of Stacey DeLuca's gorgeous fall photo featured on the GCA Members Page
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In October, we heard from The Yellow Tractor Project about Good Food for All. On November 7th, The Women's Board of The Field Museum has invited us to a lecture by MacArthur Genius Grant Recipient Dr. Claire Kremen: From Protected Areas to Working Landscapes for Conversation - One Biologist's Journey. It's a tremendous opportunity to learn more about this important subject. Questions: contact Lenore Macdonald at mail@macdonald.in or Katlyn Hemmingsen at the Field Museum, khemmingsen@fieldmuseum.org. The lecture is free of charge and parking is available at the Soldier's Field Lot or the lot to the east of the museum.
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Don't Miss the Garden Club of Evanston's 2016 House Walk & Holiday
Boutique on Saturday, November 12th, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Contact Freddie
Hoyt at freddiehoyt@gmail.com for tickets -- they are $65 and can be purchased online.
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Save the Date:
The Chicago Botanic Garden Woman's Board
"All Aboard" European Holiday Soirée
Friday, December 2, 2016
Cocktails -- 6:30 p.m.
Dinner -- 7:30 p.m.
Contact KGC's Nancy Kurz (847/446-7680)
for ticket
information.
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A cornucopia of thanks to:
Heather Blackwell for hosting and presenting our terrific October Program, Healthy Food For All, and for opening her lovely home for the program;
Our October Hostesses, Sharon Hayes, Mary Lois Hakewill, Stephanie Keehn, Cristy Laier and Terri Lorenz for the wonderful Farm To Table refreshments;
Helen Balch and Cristy Laier for the spectacular Farm To Table inspired floral arrangements at our October Meeting;
Shelley Galloway for presenting two sessions (morning and evening!) of our first of four Floral Workshops;
Terri Lorenz for organizing the Floral Workshops;
Tina Rice for her tireless work on Outreach;
Elizabeth Dugan and Kelly Chestnut for taking on the added responsibilities of the November program;
Cheryl Anderson for her work on Beautification;
Mary Lois Hakewill for researching and identifying a viable Founders Fund candidate;
Barb McDonough for helping identify and refine the Founders Fund project;
Sara Morgan, Barbi Paine, Elizabeth Dugan and Wendy Yamada for their work at Ware Garden;
Diane Phillips for getting the bills paid on time;
Emily Macdonald for growing our 2017 Zone XI Meeting horticulture entries; and
All KGC members for all that they do for the club, the community and our planet.
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