Top: Gan Mesenbring’s palette, which says “Flowers paint the landscape,” displays petunias, painted tongue, achilleas, lady’s mantle, and marigolds. Above Left: These coral roses were grown by Irene Laine. Above Right: These striking and delicate campanulas looked almost too good to be real – but they were. With them are some blue salvias and painted daisies. The arrangement was by an unnamed florist.
With summertime flowers in full bloom, the Grand Marais Garden Club celebrated 75 years of community beautification at its annual flower show Friday, July 17, 2009 at the Community Center.
It all started with nineteen ladies who met at the Cook County Courthouse in April 1934 to talk about how to beautify Grand Marais.
One of the club’s first missions was to clean up garbage that littered the town. Paul Backlund agreed to pick up garbage for a small fee and offered a spot in his Broadway Street yard where people could dump it off. Thatyard is the same one now owned by Ray Pederson, owner of Pederson’s Disposal.
Have you enjoyed any of the perennial flowers and bushes that can be seen throughout Grand Marais? You may have the Garden Club to thank for them.
One of the club’s first fundraisers was the sale of thimblefuls of Sweet William seeds at a penny each. Sixteen cents was raised.
Here are some of the club’s minutes and notes taken over the course of time:
January 29, 1935: The proper disposal of garbage was selected as the most pressing need.
April 1936: It was decided to dispense with the formality of rising when addressing the chair.
January 31, 1938: It was moved and seconded that we serve not more than two things at a meeting!
July 28, 1938: Talked about fixing up the library grounds. That poplar might be cut down and birch planted.
May 27, 1939: Mr. Clinch was asked to contact the county commissioners about keeping the courthouse grounds in better condition.
From the first page of the first book of Garden Club minutes, thought to be a summary of the club’s first year: Many favorable comments are heard on the improvements made this spring on home grounds in the village. Nature has been generous in providing the village with a beautiful setting. It is worth all the effort it will take to make the village worthy of its setting.
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