Two new members welcomed to club

By VICKI KATZ
For Starkville Daily News

The ladies of Starkville Town and Country Garden Club started the new year Sept. 1 with a meeting at the J-3 RANCH, home of member Beverly Jones.
The atmosphere was warm, the food served by hostesses Kay Barksdale, Bettie Cummings and Nell Husbands was delicious, and the horses grazing in nearby pastures set a bucolic scene for all to enjoy.
The Starkville Town and Country Garden Club was organized in 1964 and became a Federated garden club in Nov. 1966. It is a member of the National Garden Clubs, Inc. of the Deep South Region and The Garden Clubs of Mississippi, Inc. of the Tombigbee Valley District. There are currently 29 active members.
Two new members, Shelia Flurry and Nell Husbands, were initiated by Lynda Forbus and were welcomed with the gift of a book, “Gardening in the South.”
President Lynn Black led the meeting which was packed with information on plans for the upcoming year.Assignments were made for the “Get Swept Up” campaign on Sept. 14, volunteering to serve as docents each month at the Oktibbeha County Heritage Museum, the beautification of grounds surrounding the Oktibbeha County courthouse, supporting the Friends of Hollis Creek beautification plan and creating Christmas decorations at the Starkville Public Library were among a long list of community service projects. Excitement is building for the club’s spring fundraiser set for March 21, 2012 at the Starkville Sportsplex. Everyone is looking forward to hosting guest speaker James Farmer of Georgia. Learn more about James Farmer’s floral art and his new book at http://www.jamesfarmer.com.
Steve Bengal, the inhouse designer for Old Waverly Golf Course, will be the featured speaker at the October meeting.