From left are Dracut Garden Club members Eileen Kane, Isabel Flynn, Lisa Bourgeois, Jeanette Modeski, Vice President Christine Maxim, Diane Dean, Jill Dunn, Kathy Gauthier and Gail Morrissette. Valley Dispatch/Dennis Shaughnessey

DRACUT -- Their goal is simple and noble: beautify Dracut, one home at a time.

Established in 1976, the Dracut Garden Club, without much fanfare, has quietly pushed forward, promoting that goal of making Dracut beautiful. Their handiwork can be seen around the town in places that offer quiet and solace, such as the Memorial Garden behind the M.G. Parker Library or the Orpha Fox Memorial Garden at Historical Society.

A recent Saturday saw a dozen or so women from the club situated on the lawn near the Englesby Middle School, holding a plant sale. Club President Donna Vallois was unable to attend the sale, so Vice President Christine Maxim took her place. But each time Maxim was asked a question, the response came from the gallery of women, wearing the blue T-shirts bearing the Dracut Garden Club logo.

Q: What is the goal or vision of the Dracut Garden Club?

A: "Our mission is to promote the agricultural beauty of the town of Dracut."

Q: How is that accomplished?

A: "Through a variety of fundraisers, which enables us to buy more plants, pay for guest speakers and cover some of the unforeseen expenses we face while holding various activities."

Q: What are some of those activities?

A; "We have a booth at Dracut Old Home Day every year. We celebrated Earth Day/Arbor Day. We celebrated Veterans Day as well as Memorial Day. We decorated the town, including the Town Hall, at Christmas. We have installed and maintained the little

Advertisement
gardens behind the library and here at the Historical Society. We've installed and maintain the area around the 9/11 memorial at the Fire Station on Jones Avenue, and we have put in several flowerbeds at the Dillon-McAnespie Park.

Q: How many members do you have?

A: "Right now we have about 30 active members and we are always looking for more. Our limit is 60 members. You don't have to be from Dracut to be a member but you have to realize that the Dracut Garden Club promotes Dracut first and foremost."

Q: What is on the agenda for the upcoming months?

A: "We have a wonderful guest scheduled for November. His name is Bill Graham and he's a floral designer who owns a flower shop in Salem, Mass. He's very funny and has a lot of good, practical ideas. We had Paul Parent as a guest speaker a couple of years ago and he was phenomenal."