Garden club stays active in LeRoy
Published 8:00 am Saturday, May 24, 2025
LeRoy Garden Club members, in no particular order: Kathy Adams, Dianne Ahrens, Velma Bauer, Donna Bhend, Georgia Eastvold, Diane Fechner, Rita Hiller, Judy Jasper, Donna Johnson (president), Pat Newman, Karen Schaufler, Glenda Schwemmer, JoAnn Shipman, Chris Sukalski, Sharon Thiel and Pat Utz. Jed Nelson/intern@austindailyherald.com
The LeRoy Garden Club has been at the heart of beautifying LeRoy with colorful arrangements each year. Jed Nelson/ intern@austindailyherald.com
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With 16 active members that share a passion for gardening, the LeRoy Garden Club performs necessary upkeep in the LeRoy community.
With a history that dates to the late 1930s, the LeRoy Garden Club has actively been in service to the city of LeRoy, caring for key features like the triangular plot of ground between Highway 56 and Dale Avenue, as well as the west end of town.
“The main thing we do is service to LeRoy,” Garden Club member Georgia Eastvold said. “Along with taking care of the triangle and the west end, we do the planters and the trailhead. These are things that help the city.”
Drive through Main Street in downtown LeRoy and you will be met with planters that line both sides of the street, making for a burst of color and charm.
“Thanks to the City of LeRoy, we were given 36 new planters,” club Secretary Sharon Thiel said. “Each member is given the opportunity to adopt a planter as well.”
The club meets once a month where they discuss and plan things that need to be done around the city. A lesson is also put on for the members where they learn gardening techniques and exchange seeds and plants.
“In April we talk about when we’ll clean up the triangle, when we’ll clean up the west end, who’s going to go get mulch,” Eastvold said. “We discuss decoration plans and clean up for in the fall too.”
Aside from the many projects the club performs around the city, one of their favorite things is going to garden tours in the surrounding area. These tours allow for gardeners to showcase their gardens, as simple or complex as they may be.
“The garden tours are one of our favorite things to do as a group,” Eastvold said. “Going to these tours gives us ideas of what we can do at home in our own gardens.”
The group has been to Albert Lea, Rochester, Glenville, and other cities in the surrounding area for garden tours.
Groups like the LeRoy Garden Club are vital for small towns. People coming together to take care of their town, their home, is a true testament to the pride they have in their community and its members.
“We all have the same care about the land, the city,” Eastvold said. “We have the same feelings about flowers and trees. We just bond over the things we have in common.”
Becoming a member of the LeRoy Garden Club is easy.
“You just walk through the door,” Eastvold said. “Everybody’s welcomed.”
