BUCKHANNON – The two garden clubs of Upshur County have been busy planting and teaching future generations about the value of gardening.

Representatives from the Fred Brooks Garden Club and the Stargazer Garden Club attended the June 1 Upshur County Commission meeting to ask commissioners to proclaim June 4 through June 10, 2023, as National Garden Week in Upshur County.

Beth Post, president of the Fred Brooks Garden Club, also updated the commission on their activities since their last visit.

“The state of West Virginia hosted a very successful National Garden Club Convention at the Greenbrier, where we installed a West Virginia woman as the new National Garden Club president, which gave us an opportunity to show off West Virginia in a positive light and meet a lot of people from all over the country and South America, so it was a wonderful experience,” Post said.

“Since we met with you two years ago, we have started working with the story time group at the county library,” she added. “We do an activity based on the story and then do a craft with them, and we hope this will inspire them to become gardeners who like getting out and getting into the dirt.”

The Fred Brooks Garden Club will also spend its first summer at the Stockert Youth and Community Center.

“Next Tuesday is our first session with the Camp Buccaneer kids at Stockert; they formed a gardening club, and we’re working with 15 fourth- and fifth-graders,” Post said. “We have two beds at the community garden, and they will be growing squash and beans to use in the kitchen at Stockert, and the kids will each have an individual grow box in the greenhouse where we’ll be growing salsa gardens.”

“It’s new; we’ve never done this before,” she added. “We’ll learn a lot, but please pray for good weather on Tuesdays.”

The club also oversees the flower beds in front of the Upshur County Courthouse and the Christmas tree on Main Street.

Carolyn Patterson with the Star Gazers Garden Club thanked the commission for helping them establish the Gold Star Marker in Rock Cave.

“The Stargazers represent southern Upshur County, and I’m a member of both clubs, but southern Upshur County has different projects going on,” Patterson said. “One of the big things you have contributed to was the Gold Star Marker that was installed at the Veterans Park in the middle of Rock Cave and it is absolutely gorgeous.”

“We dedicated that last October, and we do appreciate your help with that because it was quite expensive,” she said.

Patterson also acknowledged the recent passing of Glen Hawkins and what a blow that was to the community in southern Upshur County.

“We have some members who have been very involved, and we’ve just recently lost Glen Hawkins, who has been a wonderful support for southern Upshur County, as you all probably know, and we will miss him dearly,” Patterson said.

The commission unanimously voted to declare June 4-10 National Garden Week 2023 in Upshur County.

Proclamation:

Whereas, Gardeners have a passion for nurturing the beauty and resources of the earth through the planting of seeds, the care of all plants and the riches of their efforts; and

Whereas, Gardeners seek to add beauty, splendor, fragrance and nutrition to our lives through the growing of herbs, vegetables, foliage and flowers; and

Whereas, Gardeners work to preserve our country’s traditional spirit of independence and initiative through innovation and hard work; and

Whereas, Gardeners advocate the importance of all creatures, large and small, that share our world and their roles in a balanced and productive ecology; and

Whereas, Gardening furnishes a challenging and productive activity for our citizens, for those just learning as well as those having years of experience; and

Whereas, Gardening promotes a healthy lifestyle that lasts a lifetime, helps reduce stress from other areas of our life, teaches that rewards can come from diligent efforts; and

Whereas, Gardening enables members of Garden Clubs across the nation and the world to make a world of difference in the communities where they reside and work;

Now therefore be it Resolved, that in an effort to acknowledge the importance of Gardening and the numerous contributions of all Gardeners, the Upshur County Commission declares the week of June 4 through 10, 2023 to be National Garden Week in Upshur County.