Garden Club of Orange President Sandra Horling stands by a showcase honoring the club’s history at High Plains Community Center. Photo by Steve Horling.
The Garden Club of Orange is hosting a series of special activities to celebrate its 95th anniversary this year.
The club will be sponsoring a one-time $1,000 scholarship to a graduating Amity High School senior. This scholarship is open to current residents of Orange who have demonstrated a commitment to community service and are pursuing post-secondary education in environmental sciences, agriculture, landscaping design or related fields. The guidance office at Amity is overseeing the application process.
Additionally, the club will be constructing a memorial garden in the back section of the historic Stone-Otis property at the corner of Orange Center Road and Tyler City Road. This garden will serve as a tribute to the members who have contributed to the club’s success since its inception.
The club selected designer Marguerite Kreuzkamp, a landscape architect and former member of the club who has ties to Orange and is studying at the Rhode Island School of Design. The project is expected to span several years.
Club President Sandra Horling unveiled the plans on Feb. 28, and said they were meant to honor the club’s history.
“These activities were selected to pay homage to those who helped make the club successful while also laying the groundwork for continued growth and community engagement,” Horling said.
The club was established in 1930 with the mother of then-town clerk Patrick O’Sullivan as its inaugural president. The club originally was formed to “create interest in gardens in general, and to promote the idea of village improvement and conservation of the beautiful in nature.”
The original members of the Garden Club played a role in supporting the town by naming and installing street signs. Today, it continues to engage in various civic and conservation projects like planting annuals on the Town Green and High Plains Community Center and making holiday wreaths for municipal buildings.