Weeders Annual Meeting

June 9, 2020

 

     The Weeders June meeting was held at 5:00 p.m. and in cyberspace for the first time ever, thanks to the miracle of the Internet and Zoom, and due to Covid-19.  President Lorraine Wallace found a way to preside over a somewhat abbreviated, but very welcome final meeting of the 2019-2020 year.

     She thanked Nancy Holmes for co-hosting the meeting and for helping with the logistics of holding a meeting by way of personal computers.

     She welcomed new member Annette Toebe to her first meeting and Annette responded that she was thrilled to be part of the group.

 

March Minutes: Nancy Holmes made a motion to approve the March Minutes and the motion passed.

 

Slate of Officers: The Slate of Officers for the year 2020-2021 was announced without objections and the Recording Secretary cast her ballot for the slate.  Congratulations to Patty Greenhalgh, President, Karen Shepard, Vice President and Michele Bolton, Treasurer!

 

Treasurer’s Report: Nancy Evans briefly reviewed the Weeder financial picture. 

     All but ten Weeders have paid their dues.  Those who haven’t yet done so, please make sure your checks are in before the end of June as we need to make our payment to GCA by then.  In addition, without your payment your name won’t be included in the Blue Book for next year.  We gave donations to two area Food Banks.  As part of our Scholarship Awards we donated funds for the cost of building a travelling greenhouse

that can be driven from site to site to teach/encourage children about gardening.

Our bank balance had been in arrears at the beginning of the year, but thanks to unused Program funds for the three meetings cancelled due to Covid and our Crazy for Containers fundraiser, we now have a nice cushion.  All of our restricted funds have been used, so we no longer need to show them on our balance sheet.

 

Committees:

 

Committee Expenses: Lorraine asked all members who had incurred expenses in connection with a Weeder project or event to submit them to Nancy Evans quickly so she can balance the books by June 30th.

 

Photography Report: Melissa Bullitt said her report will be available soon.

 

Horticulture Committee: Michele Bolton says the Semi-Hardwood Cuttings Workshop scheduled for June 23rd has been cancelled and probably also the pruning workshop scheduled for June 17th, but this must still be confirmed. GCA is offering a series of webinars in zoom format in the month of June.  They’re free for the first 30 minutes or $25 for the full hour and all sessions begin at 1:30 EST.  Upcoming topics are Foraged

Flavors, Living in the Wild, Conversations with a Landscape Gardener, Home Composting, Dealing With Weeds, Deer and Other Hurdles, and Navigating Nature with Children.  All will be held in the month of June.  Please email Michele if interested. 

The fall flower show will have a class for ferns.  Allium ‘Globemaster’ is the fall challenge plant.  They grow to about 30” and will come back if planted in sun.  Planted in shade, they will come back, but diminished in size.  They mature into a Sputnik-like object, orbs that can be spray painted and used for decorations.

 

Program Committee: Nancy Holmes announced that the programs and chairs are in place for next year, but we still need hostesses.  We’ll handle this with a blast, so be sure to sign up. Our new Community Affairs committee involves Hilltop House.  A catering business is being set up there and the Weeders will be in charge of the gardens.  A large group of our Easttown Township members have signed on to help with this ongoing project, but all are welcome to join in.  The bonus for us is that because of our involvement, the Weeders will be able to use their meeting rooms without charge.  Our September meeting will be held there.

 

Sally Wood, referring back to the Allium ‘Globemaster’ noted that the dried orb can be dipped in glue and then in sparkles.

 

Website: Taddy Dawson is looking for help with the website, suggesting anyone interested in puzzles, data entry or the like might enjoy this.  If so, please get in touch with her or Patty Greenhalgh.

 

Historian:  Maria Thompson spoke of the trials she faced this year in trying to relate our activities today to those of our forebears one hundred years ago, as is her custom. Unable to search the archives at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania due to Covid-19, the serendipitous reading of a magazine article gave her the nudge she needed to weave into her report a story of the end of World War I, the Pandemic of 1918-1922, the beginning of Prohibition in 1920, the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution and the three intrepid Lloyd sisters, whose influence on our club is felt to this day.

 

All year-end Committee Reports are attached to these Minutes.

 

Lorraine, leaving office after two years, spoke to us about how much she had enjoyed her term as Weeder President, listing club accomplishments during that time:

     The establishment of a new website, with thanks to Taddy, and a reminder:  If you haven’t sent her a photo of yourself for inclusion on the site, please do so.

     A complete overhaul of the By- Laws, a monumental effort, by Ellie Penniman, Nancy Holmes and Maria Thompson.

     Creation of the Green Book for Officers and Committee Chairs, another monumental effort by the team of Ellie, Nancy H. and Maria.

     The addition of ten new members, with two more expected to become members by the end of June.

     The addition our newest Community Affairs Committee, Hilltop House.

     She mentioned the sad loss of Wendy Calhoun, Weeder Extraordinaire, last summer and that we’re finding it difficult to remove her from the roster.

 

Lorraine turned the virtual gavel over to Patty Greenhalgh, wishing her well in her term as President.  Patty announced she’s been working hard to get the Committees organized with new Chairmen:

 

Admissions: Marilyn Sprague                                              

Membership: Mariana Wilson

Archivist: Maria Thompson

Christmas Sale: Heather Gallagher

Decorations: Polly Garnett

Wreaths: Lynn Gibbons

Flower Show: Jeanne May, Chair; Monica Church, Vice-Chair

Ronald McDonald House: Ellen Pemberton

Strafford Station: Alice Doering, Chair; Melissa Schweiter, Vice-Chair

Hilltop House: Nancy Holmes, Chair; Jeanne May, Vice-Chair; Julie De Vuono, Horticultural Advisor

Gazebo Garden: Cheryl Cheston

Conservation: Nancy Evans

Database: Ellyn Spragins

Finance: Michele Bolton

Founders Fund: Sonya Driscoll

Garden History and Design: Diane McCallister

GCA Bulletin: Marilyn Sprague

Governance: Ellie Penniman

Horticulture: Elaine Lisle Chair; Cindy Pierce, Vice-Chair 

PCGCA Representative: Karen Shepard

Fertilizer Fund Representative: Still waiting to fill

Photography: Melissa Bullitt

Program: Nancy Holmes, Chair; Laura Carpenter, Vice-Chair

Scholarship: Sonya Driscoll, Chair; Regina Wagner, Vice-Chair

Trips and Tours: Cheryl Cheston

 

Patty then asked all retiring Officers and Committee Chairs to turn their Green Books over to the new Chairs and Officers as soon as possible, asking them to get in touch with their committee members to make sure each wants to remain on the committee.  She thanked Lorraine, who has done such a terrific job as president, expressed her enthusiasm for her new job and adjourned the meeting at 6:04.  

 

 

Respectfully submitted,

Lesley Undercofler, Recording Secretary