Starkville Town and Country Garden Club celebrated all of its 2024-25 accomplishments at its end-of-the-year meeting on May 1 at the home of Susan Turner.

“Our end-of-the-year meeting was a true celebration of all the hard work our club has done throughout the year,” said Club President Kathryn Davis. “We showed off the 12 awards we won at state convention and the third-place civic award we received last week in Jackson, Mississippi from the Keep Mississippi Beautiful organization for our litter pick up efforts. Each committee gave a recap of their projects from August of 2024 to May 2025, and I was truly amazed at all we had accomplished.”

Davis reminded everyone that club activities continue all summer, even though the club does not meet. She said, “We are especially looking forward to the ribbon cutting ceremony for the pollinator garden at the Oktibbeha County Heritage Museum next Thursday, May 8 at 4 p.m. Our club worked hard to secure a grant to create the pollinator garden and to get it certified as an official pollinator garden.”

President Davis welcomed and introduced the new members who had joined this year. The new members include Donna Darty, Betty Woolfolk, Laura Bryan, Holly Estes, Catherine Ray and Ginger Virden.

Committee chairs then gave their committee report. A list of the committees and some of their key projects this year include:

■ Awards – The club won 12 awards at the annual state convention, including first place entries for the Smokey Bear art contest for third and fourth grade students, first place for the pollinator garden entry, first place for a landscape grant for economically challenged gardens, and second place for its press book.

■ Civic Development (Community & Landscape Beautification) –Laid wreaths at local cemeteries in honor of Veteran’s Day and decorated the Old Courthouse for Christmas. Garden club members will also serve as hostesses for the third annual Starkville Derby’s VIP tent.

■ Christmas in the Community – Put up, decorated, and took down the Starkville Library Christmas tree and decorated a Christmas tree for the Oktibbeha County Heritage Museum’s fundraiser.

■ Conservation & Environment – Planted trees at Cornerstone Park on Mississippi and National Arbor Day, participated in the annual “Get Swept Up” Starkville workday, watered and weeded the planter boxes behind the Starkville Café, and collaborated with Starkville Academy to pick up trash for Earth Day on Starkville roadways.

■ Education & Young Gardeners – Supported the Junior Garden Club called Garden of Goodness & Glory, who are also members of Garden Love First United Methodist Church, by helping them create and manage their garden and sell the produce at the weekly Farmer’s Market and helped them participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count.

■ Garden Therapy – Created floral arrangements with residents at the Goldton, Beehive, and Montgomery Gardens.

■ Habitat for Humanity – Assisted with feeding students from Rockford University during spring break and provided crepe myrtle trees for their new housing site.

■ Publicity – Produced monthly press releases and secured newspaper and TV publicity of club events.

Members expressed thanks to President Kathryn Davis and to Vice President Lynne Strickland for leading and coordinating such excellent programs throughout the year.

After the business meeting, members enjoyed learning how to create unique tea towels using the Tataki-Zome method which involves taking fresh flowers and greenery and pounding them into fabric using a rubber mallet or hammer. Lynne Strickland and Susan Street demonstrated the process and handed out white tea towels to members to create their own designs. Members then placed their tea towel onto cardboard, created a unique design of flowers and greenery, placed wax paper over the design, and then pounded it with a mallet. Needless to say, it was quite a noisy project with everyone hammering, but the unique finished products were worth the effort.

Members also enjoyed a potluck luncheon with delicious food items brought by members.