From seven women in 1947 to about 70 men and women in 2023, the Sequim Prairie Garden Club (SPGC) has grown over the years.
SPGC members — and the community — mark the club’s 75th anniversary with a celebration set for 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, July 29, at Pioneer Memorial Park, 387 E. Washington St.
Stop by for exhibits, live music, refreshments, a presentation by gardening guru Ciscoe Morris and more.
Club leadership
The first president of the SPGC was Martha Clasen in 1948. According to club records, charter members included Martha Clasen, Clara Dawley, Grace Blank, Sophia Blair, Ruth Lochow, Marvel Priest, Nora Lee Klingler, Annie Vail, Carrie Blake and Mary Stone.
Ellen Castleman became the president of the SPGC in June 2023. Castleman said she chose to take over because former president Vina Winters has been serving for six years.
“I love the garden club,” Castleman said. “I think it’s a wonderful organization.”
During her presidency, she said she hopes to get an ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) walkway built around the park and restore the Pioneer Log Cabin.
Castleman, who worked as a director of radiation therapy in Arizona, first joined the Garden Club in 2016 because she was looking for things to do and volunteer organizations to work with in the community.
“I’m retired and I wanted to do something totally different than what I ever did in my work life,” she said.
According to Castleman, one of her favorite memories of being a part of SPGC is the plant sales. The sales typically happen in late April or the first week of May and are held outside.
“It was freezing,” she said. “But the camaraderie that we had out there … you get to talk to the people, and it’s just fun.”
Club meetings, tours
SPGC members meet once each month except for July, and the club hosts a potluck in August.
“We always have a speaker and then we have garden sharing,” Winters said. “People are encouraged to talk about issues and things that work [and] things that don’t work.”
Castleman said that some of her favorite speakers are local green thumbs Andrew May and Leilani Wood.
“She [Wood] brought some of her yard art,” Castleman said. “She takes something that you wouldn’t consider … and she’ll dress it up and put it in her garden.”
The garden club also offers tours, where members can show each other around their personal gardens.
“People love it because you get to go see what somebody else is doing with the area, the climate [and] the plants,” Winters said.
75th anniversary
Morris headlines the club’s July 29 event.
“Usually you would pay like $25 to hear him speak; this is free,” SPGC historian Priscilla Hudson said.
There will also be live music, non-alcoholic refreshments and exhibits at the event, such as weavers, spinners, blacksmiths, quilters and two people who make things out of driftwood.
“One that does driftwood art, polishing and design of driftwood,” Hudson said. “The other is a young lady who makes things out of driftwood. She makes huge animals.”
Hudson said this celebration is also a thank you to the community because Sequim helped support the park.
“Yes, the women and garden club were the cohesive the glue that kept it going on this side,” Hudson said.
“But if we didn’t have community support, it wouldn’t be there.”
For more about the Sequim Prairie Garden Club, visit sequimprairiegardenclub.org.
Sequim Prairie Garden Club’s 75th anniversary event
When: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, July 29
Where: Pioneer Memorial Park, 387 E. Washington St.
Features: Exhibits, live music, refreshments, presentation by Ciscoe Morris, more
More info: sequimprairiegardenclub.org
