By Brenda Sexton
The Courier-Herald
Enumclaw Garden Club's annual Breakfast for the Birds left the crowd cooing with delight, chirping with enthusiasm and squawking with laughter, especially as the traditional hat parade passed through the Enumclaw High School commons.
More than 200 Garden Club members, their friends and honored guests attended this year's breakfast and silent auction Feb. 22.
The Garden Club invited Bob Morse, author of “Birds of the Puget Sound Region,” to be its guest speaker. Morse, an avid bird watcher since childhood, has been a member of the Audubon Society since 1961.
Morse pointed out bird watching is the second most popular outdoor activity behind gardening. He said one in five people watch or feed birds. During his presentation, he offered feeding suggestions and displayed products for back-yard bird watchers.
The Garden Club also acknowledge some of its recent award-winning members like Marilyn Nelson, who is the recipient of the National Garden Club Award for Service and Recognition and a member of the team which recently was awarded The Principal Financial Group's “Let Freedom Ring” grant award.
Nelson won the district award for her outstanding contributions to community and civic projects and then also won the Pacific Region award, which includes seven states. She will attend the national convention in May in Orlando, Fla., to receive her honor.
Nelson, a Garden Club member since 1998, has been active in many gardening-related community projects including planting red poppies at the Veteran of Foreign Wars memorial, beautifying local parks and helping to spearhead the entrance to Enumclaw's Foothills Trail.
The Foothills Trail park will also be the focus of the $2,000 grant the Garden Club will receive from the “Let Freedom Ring” award, which Nelson, along with fellow members Maureen Courtney and Susan Petitclerc, put together.
The grant, combined with matching funds, is designated for development of a civic project that will honor those who served the United States. The Enumclaw Garden Club plans to install a fountain and Blue Star marker at the Foothills Trail park.
The National Garden Clubs have had a Blue Star Memorial Program in place to honor service men and women since 1945. The Blue Star is an icon originated during World War II to designate homes where sons and daughters were away at war.
After Morse's presentation and awards, it was time for the club's much-anticipated hat parade. As in years past, participants were asked to create hats to reflect a particular topic. This year, the themes were changed to a “Breakfast for the Birds” topic.
Susanne Coblentz was feeling ducky when she won the “Ducks Feast on Garden Slugs” design for her bright-yellow, crocheted duck munching on slugs (dates). Wanda Harris was the winner of the “Robins Feast on Fat, Juicy Worms” hat for her bonnet festooned with piles of gummy, worm candies. Sara Griggs had something to crow about when she won the “Blackbirds Feast Among the Cattails” theme.
Margaret Yonkers won the “Seagulls Feast in Garbage Piles” award for her hat constructed from trash bags and garbage. Connie McDonald was the recipient of the “Cardinals Feast on Winter Berries” prize for her hat laden with evergreen boughs, red berries and a singing cardinal. Maggie Hobert was a cinch to win the “Goldfinch Feast on Thistle Seeds” competition with her upside-down, seed-covered basket and downy, yellow birds. And Nelson won the “Hummingbirds Feast on Flower Nectar” award for her entry.
The Garden Club donates its proceeds from the breakfast to a variety of causes, including conservation organizations, arboretums and the Foothills Trail park. The club will also donate $100 to Enumclaw High this year to be used for landscaping in exchange for use of its facility.
Upcoming events for the Garden Club include its hanging basket sale. Presale orders are under way and available by calling Becky Moore at 253-288-0825 or Betsy Williams at 360-825-3481 or 253-653-8377. Baskets are $19. Pick-up will between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. April 29 at the parking lot at the corner of Initial Avenue and Cole Street in Enumclaw.
The club has also scheduled its spring plant sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 6 at the corner of Cole and Initial.
Brenda Sexton can be reached at bsexton@courierherald.com.
