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Contra Costa Marketplace - May 2016

The Pinole Garden Club was established in 1956 by Pinole Poet Laureate Jesse Clark and Judy Baker who felt the City of Pinole needed a group of interested gardeners to come together and share their enthusiasm and expertise for the benefit of each other and the City they all loved. The Pinole Garden Club (PGC) is celebrating its 60th Anniversary and is pleased to acknowledge its 53 members who have been actively involved in many projects in Pinole. Here’s but a few of the activities to which our members dedicate their time and talents: The members maintain the gardens for the City of Pinole’s Welcome Wall and the Blue Star Marker (honoring Pinole’s service men and women), at the corner of Pinole Valley Road and the I80 Freeway, including the American flags that go on display for the holidays. The historical Faria House Garden has over 80 rose trees in the front yard which we maintain, since the house was moved from the current site of the Kaiser Medical Facility to its new location The Pinole Garden Club By Joyce edwards, PGc secretary on San Pablo Avenue. Our members come together to prune, weed, and refresh the trees throughout the years. The Pinole Library has been given annual donations of garden-related books and DVD’s. Around the Holiday Season, our members decorate the library’s Christmas tree and display cases. We also organize the Candy Cane Contest, where local children guess the number of canes in the container for a prize. Each year in March, the PGC presents Pinole with a tree planting to commemorate Arbor Day. The Club has planted over 60 trees throughout the City dedicated to various honorees on behalf of the City. Also within our members, we have a Garden Therapy Group who monthly assist residents of senior care facilities with fresh flower arrangements to brighten their rooms. We also have a group of members who perform a skit “A Tree Grows in Pinole” presented to elementary schools in our City. In the past, many neighbors participated in our Front Garden Landscape Contest, enjoying acknowledgement and rewards for their home gardens and helping beautify our City. Another project for excitement and fun for members and neighbors alike is our May Plant Sale at the Pinole Farmers Market. We dedicate our springtime to propagating and growing seedlings for this oneday event, which creates fellowship within the club, community recognition, as well as revenue for the Club. Among our financial contributions are included: Scholarship Fund donation awarded each year to a deserving student to financially assist her/him in horticultural studies at a local college; Gardens at Heather Farm; Habitat for Humanity Gardens; East Bay Rose Society; and the USDA Penny Pines’ reforestation program (each acre of 325 trees), Heifer Project International for tree seedlings, and various memorial contributions.


Contra Costa Marketplace - May 2016
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