Garden Tour Showcases Best of Du Quoin
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[ The Du Quoin Garden Club will begin it's 51st year of service this calendar year, 2009-2010.
To celebrate this occasion the Club is having a Garden Walk, Saturday, June 20, from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Members' gardens that will be open are: Heide Fiorino, Secret Garden; Bonnie Wilson, Quilts in the Garden; Rosa Lee Plunkett, Nature's Garden; Gail Taylor, Patriotic Garden; Mary Jo Novak, Herb Garden; Joyce Deaton, Children's Garden; and Telvi Wenzel, Refreshments in the Garden.
Tickets are $5 and can be purchased from any Garden Club member, or the day of the walk, at the Gazebo/Mini Park in downtown Du Quoin.
The Du Quoin Garden Club was organized in 1958-59 at the home of Mrs. Charles Stephens. Sponsored by the Benton Garden Club, 25 attended the meeting, including the Garden Club of Illinois President, Mrs. Orvel Ramsey. All the Du Quoin ministers' wives were made honorary members.
The first year of the Du Quoin Garden Club was a busy one. They hosted the District 7 spring meeting in March, 1959, at the Christian Church.
They adopted the project of furnishing and taking floral arrangements weekly for the tables at the Veterans Hospital in Marion. Another project was beautifying the side of the Illinois Central Railroad tracks where passengers boarded and departed the train. Mrs. Isador Friedman served as chairman of this project and obtained permission from the I.C. Railroad for digging, working, and planting flowers.
The Du Quoin Garden Club continued to be of service to the community. In 1961 members purchased gardening books and set up a shelf in the City Library. Also, that same year, husbands assisted in landscaping the Scout House with members contributing shrubs. The Club's float won first place in the Decoration Day parade. It was decorated with white crosses, flags, and over 100 huge poppies. In 1966 the first annual plant sale was begun.
Money received from the plant sale was used to buy urns and planters for the entrances at the post office, city hall, and hospital. Flowers were planted at the Veterans Memorial Marker on the post office lawn. In 1970 redwood "Welcome to Du Quoin" signs were designed and made by members' husbands. An anti-litter poster project was sponsored by the Club. One hundred fifty students entered posters, hoping to win the $50.00 prize.
Today the Du Quoin Garden Club is continuing the projects that were started 50 years ago and helping make the Du Quoin community an attractive place to live. Help celebrate the beginning of our next 50 years by attending the Garden Walk, Saturday, June 20.