Attendance for the tour of the William Jennings Bryan Statue Gardens fell short of expectations this week, but was not a surprise with the extremely hot and humid weather.
The organization is hopeful everyone will take the opportunity to tour the statue gardens, which have been a continuing work of art since they began 20 years ago.
Sharon Blair is one of the founding members when the club was formed in March 2006.
“It’s not ever going to get any bigger,” Blair said. “It’s all that we can handle as a basic crew of five ladies who work out here religiously every week. It’s therapy for the soul. The garden is absolutely beautiful right now. It was a little slow getting started this year because Mother Nature was not too kind, bringing in a huge amount of rain and cooler weather, but all of a sudden, everything has just blossomed.”
Blair reports the large evergreen trees along the walk to the William Jennings Bryan statue have been moved across the street to near the Inclusive Playground at Bryan Memorial Park. They have been replaced by six smaller blooming hydrangea trees, allowing the statue to be better showcased. A bench that had been vandalized this spring in the Tribute Garden has been replaced with a 140-year-old bench donated by a member of the club.
Blair says the downtown planters handled by the club have also turned out beautiful this year following a late start due to the weather.
