The West Chicago Garden Club

On Thursday, October 22nd at 2pm we will have Kim Hartman (one of our favorite presenters) from Countryside Flower Shop, Nursery and Garden Center join us for a fun program on how to make beautiful fall center pieces and put some spark into your outdoor containers.  Kim will also bring several of her creations that will be raffled off to the lucky winners! 

We will have cake and coffee and hopefully a beautiful day.  Bring your own chair, dress for the weather and if it’s a little chilly bring a lap blanket.  

The event will be cancelled if we have rain. 

If Kress Creek Farms sounds familiar it’s because this is the area and the barn where we held our potting parties for the last several years. The city of West Chicago has turned this farm area into a beautiful park with lots of space for social distancing and a pavilion where we will meet. Come early and explore the many lovely areas of this newly developed gathering place.

Kress Creek Farms houses an 18 cage Disc Golf Course, Chicago Bears playground and a trail system.  Located along Joliet Street on the south side of the city, Kress Creek Farms has rolling hills, native landscaping, and a small pond for catch and release fishing.

We will have a casual, socially distance meeting this month for Members only!

Lunch at Sunny Acres Farm

Come and join your West Chicago Garden Club for lunch on Thursday, September 24th at 12:30 pm, at the newly renovated beautiful Sonny Acres Farm located on North Ave. between Prince Crossing and Rt. 59.
The Farm now has a restaurant with plenty of outside social distance seating where you can order from the menu and enjoy your complimentary lunch.

We will also have some fun raffle prizes to make your day even more enjoyable, (if you are hanging on to some items that you were going to bring to the silent auction in November you may want to bring them with you and we will add them to the raffle).

We hope everyone will attend this event and support your local business. 

See your September Newsletter for information on how to RSVP for this event.

A message from the West Chicago Garden Club President:

As I sit in my office and write this article, I can’t help but think about all the things that have changed since my last message one month ago.  As I am sure every one of you knows, the COVID-19 pandemic has led the Garden Club board to make some hard, disappointing decisions.  Our general meeting and speaker for March has been cancelled. The 2020 plant sale has also been cancelled, although we still plan on having an informational booth at Bloomingfest assuming that it is not cancelled by the City. Our general meeting for April is still planned, but may need to be cancelled.  However, as a club, our finances are in great shape and as an organization we can wait this out.  We are not giving up and expect to be back to our, perhaps slightly modified, normal routine (involving a lot more hand sanitizer) at some point in the near future.

Personally, the advent of Spring has helped provide some encouragement.  Many studies have noted that gardening generally improves mood, enhances emotional well-being, reduces anxiety and stress, and helps reduce the symptoms of depression.  In a world filled with bad news, I can still make big plans for my yard and dream about all of the quality garden time I will soon be able to enjoy.  If the weather continues to cooperate (please, please, please), I plan on spending a lot of my time socializing with the squirrels, birds and insects in my own yard and catching up on projects that I have been putting off for way too long.  I also plan on listening to a few books, taking a few naps and just sitting quietly out in my yard.

The future is much more pleasant and manageable when focused on the bright possibilities that Spring and Summer bring to our yards and gardens.  I plan on taking advantage of this fact over the next few months. I encourage you to do the same.

Stay well. Stay safe.

Dan