Announcements & News
October 2022 – 3rd Place Winner in the Annual Chelmsford Scarecrow Festival
The Chelmsford Garden Club won third place in the collaborative Chelmsford Open Spaces Stewardship and Chelmsford Land Conservation Trust 2022 Scarecrow Festival held in Bartlett Park. The entry was an upside down gardener with boots in the air, pumpkin head with gourd facial features, straw hat, pots of flowers and gardening tools.
October 2022 – Chelmsford’s Grande Dame of Garden Clubs Celebrates 100 Years!
The Chelmsford Garden Club, one of the oldest continuous garden clubs in the region, celebrated 100 years of civic involvement on October 1, with a Garden Party. Organized in 1922, the club has spent a century focused on town beautification and civic improvement. Club members, their friends and families as well as the Chelmsford Community were invited to join the anniversary celebration. Many came dressed in 1922 outfits, nibbled on finger snacks and a celebratory cake while listening to the Mill City Rags. A program on the history of the club created by one member and delivered by another was shared with attendees as was a proclamation given by one of our town’s Selectpersons. All in all it was a wonderful day of celebration and remembrance.
June 2022 - Weddings through the Century Tour
The Chelmsford Garden Club began its 100th Anniversary Year Celebrations with a look at how weddings have been celebrated in Chelmsford throughout the last century. The focus was on wedding flowers, décor, and dresses! Wedding decor and flowers for a traditional barn venue and a wonderful collection of wedding dresses from the late 1800’s to today was viewed at the Garrison House Barn and Hill Jock House. Guests previewed the historic chapel in the All Saints Episcopal Church to see a 1922 wedding display; moved along to the Chelmsford Congregational Church for a look at a mid-century wedding in the beautiful gazebo and, finally, made their way over to the Chelmsford Public Garden to enjoy ideas for 2022 weddings, view the fairy gardens, take a selfie at the wedding arch and some took part in a wedding vow renewal!
2021 Arbor Day Tree Planted in Memory of Long-Time Chelmsford Garden Club Member Ann Shealy.
In memory of Ann Shealy, the Chelmsford Garden Club celebrated Arbor Day by planting a second Cornus Kousa Chinensis, a white flowering Chinese dogwood tree, in the new, age-friendly Chelmsford Pocket Park. The family of Ann Shealy, a 61-year member of the Chelmsford Garden Club, sponsored the tree. In attendance were Town Manager Paul Cohen, Select Board Member Pat Wojtas, Melissa Joyce from the DPW, the Shealy family and members of the Chelmsford Garden Club.
2020 Scholarship Awarded to Nick Havener
A $1,000 scholarship was awarded to Nick Havener, a 2020 graduate of Chelmsford High School. Nick will attend the University of Southern California and pursue a degree in science. Our sincere best wishes and “good luck” to Nick with his college studies and experiences, and in his future endeavors.
Petal Into Summer by Decorating a Bike Memorial Day Weekend 2021
The Chelmsford Garden Club kicked off its 100th anniversary by “petaling” into summer with a cheerful display of decorated bikes. The club wanted to give the town a festive air and create a community-wide opportunity for businesses and families to get involved in a fun activity after a challenging year contending with COVID. Participants chose their own themes and placed their bikes all over town. They were spotted in public spaces and in gardens and yards in many neighborhoods across town. The bikes were on display from May 26th through June 3. A “wheely” good time was had by all.