Pine Island Garden Club starting new year with full schedule
The Pine Island Garden Club is starting another new year with some exciting programs for members to enjoy. In addition to the monthly meetings (dates shown below), the Club is planning the 12th Annual Garden Gala, scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013.
The Garden Club kicks off its exciting 2012-2013 season with Shelly Redovan as the first speaker. Redovan, deputy director of education and communications for Lee County Mosquito Control, has been with Lee County for 16 years. Prior to Lee County, Redovan worked for 13 years with Charlotte County Mosquito Control. Her talk will provide an overview of Lee Country Mosquito Control operations with an emphasis on the challenges of mosquito control on Pine Island. She will also briefly discuss West Nile Virus and other mosquito related diseases.
The Club will be celebrating its 12th annual Garden Gala at the Pine Island Nature Park located at the Island Center. The Gala is a wonderful day-long event that residents and visitors to Southwest Florida have enjoyed year after year. It is a day of assorted lectures on horticulture and offers members and the public an opportunity to ask questions and learn from professionals and purchase a wide variety of the finest plants from the top growers in the State. Admission is free. The Gala has always been a pleasurable day for the whole family. Make sure that you circle the date on your calendar and get the word out. The Gala is the Garden Club’s biggest fund-raiser and makes their philanthropic endeavors possible.
Garden Club meetings begin at 9 a.m. with a social time followed by the speaker 9:30 a.m. and ending with a small members business meeting. The meetings are held at the Fishers of Men Evangelical Lutheran Church at 10360 Stringfellow Road.
Club meetings are free and open to everyone. If you are interested in attending a meeting or becoming a member (annual dues are $20), please call Marty Kendall, president at 283-8175, Pat Rooney, 1st vice president at 282-5811, or Kathie Reiter, membership chairman at 283-3176. Please visit our website: www.pineislandgardenclub.org., for membership information and events.
The programs and dates of the monthly Garden Club meetings are:
* Sept. 20, 2012
Topic: “Dealing with Mosquitoes on Pine Island”
Speaker: Shelly Redovan
* Oct. 18, 2012
Topic: “Growing Herbs”
Speaker: Dennis Gretton
* Nov. 15, 2012
Topic: “Bringing Wildlife into your Garden”
Speaker: Roy Beckman
* Dec. 13, 2012: Holiday Luncheon
* Jan. 17, 2013:
Topic: “What’s Blooming?”
Speaker: Lynn Berraitter
* Feb. 21, 2013
Topic: “Mulching Practices for Pine Island”
Speaker: Cathie White
* February 23, 2013: Pine Island Garden Club Gala
* March 21, 2013
Topic: “More New Natives for Pine Island”
Speaker: Jimmy Evans
* April 18, 2013
Topic: “Native Wildflowers of South West Florida”
Speaker: Glen Stacell
* May 16, 2013
Topic: “Myth Busters II”
Speaker: Sonya Smith