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Garden Club News from Sheri Murphy, President
Hello all! Hope you are settling into the 2026 summer season with nothing but happy surprises along the way. (we can always hope!)
Well, the PIB Garden Club is off to an active start once again. On Wednesday, May 20th, board members and several of their “voluntold” spouses had a very efficient morning organizing and hanging some very large, beautifully flowering baskets on the DeRivera Park lamp posts…all 44 of them! If size matters, these will be ready to survive whatever Mother Nature throws at them! The nursery where we purchased the blooms (Hook’s Nursery) went above and beyond to ensure we received the biggest and healthiest baskets yet. Next time you are downtown, make sure to look up and check them out – they truly are lovely. And they would not be here at all without the herculean efforts of the Hilts and the Frimels for transporting the plants here to the island. (Please, please do not ever sell your van and truck!!!) Berens, Murphys, Kathy Schrader, Kathi Spayde and Barb Hunter (along with Hilts and Frimels) filled out the very flexible morning crew with a number of arm muscles utilized – those baskets were heavy. Many hands make light work though, and once the rain stopped, we were done in under 45 minutes-what determination.
Explore 2026 At Put-in-Bay
- Check out our event calendar
- Find a place to stay
- See Put-in-Bay webcams
Later that same day, Murphys hosted a little get-together at their home on the South Shore to start off another season of fun with club members-some raucous camaraderie was had by all in attendance…and some fabulous food as well. I do believe one has to pass a culinary exam to live here. There was even an opportunity to assist in the fundraising efforts for the Mouse Island capital improvement project when a hat was passed for donations…. Alas, there were no bills in the hat at the end of the evening, so not sure where that leaves certain proponents’ investment strategies going forward.
First up on our 2026 program schedule is a discussion pertaining to raised bed gardening at the home of resident island expert, Donna D’Amico. The program begins promptly at 3 p.m. on Thursday, June 18th, and will be full of helpful suggestions plus hands-on instruction on how to make your own, featuring the raised beds Donna has created there on her property. You can find flyers with this program’s particulars about town and on our website, www.putinbaygardenclub.com.
Our Favorite Rentals and Hotels
- Island Club Rentals (islandclub.com) – 216-898-9951
- Commodore Resort (commodoreresort.com) – 419-285-3101
- Bird’s Nest Resort (birdsnestresort.com) – 419-285-6119
- Put-in-Bay Condos (putinbaycondos.com) 216-898-1105
- Victory Station Hotel (putinbayvictorystation.com) 419-285-0120
Looking ahead to July, mark Thursday, July 23rd, down for our traditional off-island excursion–this year for a guided tour of Schoepfle Gardens in Wakeman OH. More information will follow on this and our other programs we have in the works as we get this season rolling. As always, check out our website for all the latest information we have available and where to find us next. The club would love to see as many of you as possible at all our programs. PLEASE, come and join in the fun. See you soon, I hope!
