You know the picture you see of a duck gracefully swimming in a pond, but you don’t see her legs frantically paddling? That metaphor can be applied to this year’s Centerpiece Making event. When about 50 people walked in to Town Hall at 9:30 on December 16th, the evergreen boughs were clipped to manageable sizes, 140 mugs were filled with AgraWool, and three tables worth of adorable decorations were ready and waiting.
Here’s the back story:
Christine Cecchetti and the Eastman Recreation folks donated the leftover evergreen boughs that Maintenance had harvested from the forest for the annual holiday wreath making workshops. Diane Cameron and Bob Munson wrestled two huge tarps full of the greenery into their cars and wrestled them out and dumped them in Diane’s side yard. Then it snowed. Then it rained. A lot! I feared that the boughs would be broken and wet, but by some Christmas miracle, they came through dry and looking as fresh as new. The lesson learned was that huge bundles of boughs should not be moved in vehicles as small and inaccessible as cars. Vice President Betsy Fowler asked her friend and neighbor Merritt Cavanaugh if he’d be willing to help transport the green in his pick up truck, and he readily agreed :-)
The next problem came from the AgraWool which is an environmentally conscious alternative to floral foam blocks. It consists of basalt rock spun into fibers. The volunteer group of Kristina Cole, Diane Cameron, Anke Clews, Sue Johnson, Ilene Ladd, Nancy Menton, and Suzie Weiss took on the task of using serrated knives to cut the blocks of AgraWool into a size they could squeeze into the mugs. Before long, a mist of tiny fibers filled the air and caused the volunteers to cough. You know what they say about ‘no good deed….' I remembered seeing a container of masks in the entranceway so could at least give them some measure of relief. Not one of them gave up until all 140 mugs were filled, watered, and ready to go. What an amazing bunch of women.
The final glitch which was the least troublesome came the morning of the event when I stopped at the club’s storage unit to pick up the GGC sign and some boxes only to discover that the lock was frozen shut. Thank goodness we set up all the mugs and decorations the day before.
Rather than tell you the rest of the story, I’ll let the pictures show the results despite a few stumbling blocks. It was all worth it in the end.
Here’s the back story:
Christine Cecchetti and the Eastman Recreation folks donated the leftover evergreen boughs that Maintenance had harvested from the forest for the annual holiday wreath making workshops. Diane Cameron and Bob Munson wrestled two huge tarps full of the greenery into their cars and wrestled them out and dumped them in Diane’s side yard. Then it snowed. Then it rained. A lot! I feared that the boughs would be broken and wet, but by some Christmas miracle, they came through dry and looking as fresh as new. The lesson learned was that huge bundles of boughs should not be moved in vehicles as small and inaccessible as cars. Vice President Betsy Fowler asked her friend and neighbor Merritt Cavanaugh if he’d be willing to help transport the green in his pick up truck, and he readily agreed :-)
The next problem came from the AgraWool which is an environmentally conscious alternative to floral foam blocks. It consists of basalt rock spun into fibers. The volunteer group of Kristina Cole, Diane Cameron, Anke Clews, Sue Johnson, Ilene Ladd, Nancy Menton, and Suzie Weiss took on the task of using serrated knives to cut the blocks of AgraWool into a size they could squeeze into the mugs. Before long, a mist of tiny fibers filled the air and caused the volunteers to cough. You know what they say about ‘no good deed….' I remembered seeing a container of masks in the entranceway so could at least give them some measure of relief. Not one of them gave up until all 140 mugs were filled, watered, and ready to go. What an amazing bunch of women.
The final glitch which was the least troublesome came the morning of the event when I stopped at the club’s storage unit to pick up the GGC sign and some boxes only to discover that the lock was frozen shut. Thank goodness we set up all the mugs and decorations the day before.
Rather than tell you the rest of the story, I’ll let the pictures show the results despite a few stumbling blocks. It was all worth it in the end.
Three wise man--Bob Munson, Brian Fowler, and Merritt Cavanaugh--bringing practical gifts
The Thursday prep team of L to R--Nancy, Susie, Diane, Betsy, Ilene, Kristina, Mike, Sue, Anke, Brian, and Bob
Sue Johnson, Ilene Ladd, Nancy Menton, and Anke Clews in the dusty kitchen working with the AgraWool. Such troopers!
Ready to go
Friday morning's set up crew including Kristina Cole, Mike Simmons, Mike Mulcahy, Kathy Houghton, Ines Wishart, Jane Altobelli, and Diane Bilotta
Kristina Cole teaching the basics for making centerpieces using the fibonacci sequence.
Picking out the perfect decorations
Making the centerpieces
New member Ines Wishart has volunteered to help Hospitality Chair Kathy Houghton for 2025!
Kathy photobombing the carefully arranged group photo ;-)
Almost finished 146 centerpieces with all the decorations used. Here's Ines, Jane, and Ilene with their masterpieces.
Bill Weeks and Sue Berg packing up the centerpieces for donation to Meals on Wheels.
Rachel, Jim, and Sue Berg bringing the first carful of centerpieces to Meals on Wheels.
Beverly Marshall and Steve Solomon bringing the second carload of centerpieces to Meals on Wheels.
Patti Bookless showing some of the centerpieces which she and Kathy Houghton brought to the Grantham Food Pantry, along with boxes of non-perishable food donations.
Centerpieces were delivered to the civic garden sponsors Bar Harbor Bank, Carol Shepherd Realty, Coldwell Banker Lifestyles, Lady Grantham Apiary, and Willis Auto to thank them for their support.