The Daffy Dill Garden Club celebrated their 20th Anniversary at its annual Appreciation Dinner Thursday night. The first President and one of the founders Sharon Blair didn’t anticipate the success that they have had.
“I had no idea that the garden we’re working in today would be what it is,” Blair said. “It just evolved across the years, and a lot of the thanks for that goes to Elisa Hourigan. She had the vision to make it larger. While she isn’t participating today, she put the bones there.”
Current President Dee Hanson wants to spread the word the Statue Garden is for everybody and not just the garden club.
“We’re seeing more and more activity with people walking through with their families, and that’s what we want,” Hanson said. “I want to see more of that.”
Hanson is also encouraging the garden to be used for photographic background as well. She’s looking for some changes next year as well.
“New bushes, low maintenance, and doing that balance of making sure that we have through the season, early spring, mid spring, then summer and fall bloomers,” Hanson said. “We’re really trying to organize the year-round color schemes.”
The club is getting ready for their annual holiday contest for best decorated flower box downtown. 20 of the boxes have been taken so far, with six more still available by contacting the club.
A number of Salem city officials were on hand to celebrate the club. Mayor Nic Farley thanked the club for what they have done.
“I think it’s very important, and it shows a sense of pride that we still have in our community,” Farley said. “It gives us a feature of our town, and it allows when we’re attracting new employees to the city or attracting new businesses. We have businesses checking us out every month, and they’re driving around sometimes even without us knowing. To have a dedicated group of individuals that work so hard, take pride in our community and make it look the way it does and make it more beautiful is something I think is really unique and impressive for the city.”
Club members in turn thanked the city for their annual cash contribution that allows for their work to continue. Parks worker Dave Sands was also thanked for some of the heavy work he has completed for the club. It currently has around 20 members.
