2021
ART IN BLOOM 2021
The Heckscher Museum of Art in Huntington invited four Long Island GCA clubs – North Suffolk GC, North Country GC, Three Harbors GC and South Side GC – to take part in the Art In Bloom exhibition celebrating the museum’s 100th year. Three teams of two from each club were given an artwork as the inspiration for their floral design. Arrangements were set up in the morning on Friday, June 11 for an afternoon preview by family and friends, and the museum was open to ticketed patrons on Saturday and Sunday, June 12 and 13, 2021.
The teams of designers from South Side were Becky Halleron and MaryAnn Moynihan, Michelle Pittman and Marilyn LaPenta, Jane Arbeiter and Barbara Limpert. They took on the challenge and did a fabulous job! Thank you for representing South Side Garden Club.
2020
FEBRUARY 2020
What a great way to start 2020. South Side members joined those from North Suffolk GC, North Country GC and Three Harbors GC for a slide show presentation by noted flower arranger and owner of Stonekelly Events, Jen Stone. The setting was the beautiful St. John’s Episcopal Church adjacent to the Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery. Many of the guests were lucky recipients of Jen’s raffled arrangements, and we all enjoyed a fabulous light lunch afterward.
DECEMBER 2019
Holiday Time! This year’s fundraiser was held on Friday night, December 13th at Seatuck Environmental Center in Islip and what a success it was, despite the horribly unpleasant weather. So much work goes into a function like this and it’s all done by each of our members, from handmade raffle items to food and drink, to decorating and hosting our friends and family. Below are some pics of South Side GC’s Christmas Cheer 2019.
OCTOBER 2019
October 2nd was a typical Long Island Indian Summer day when members gathered at Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Great River for a walking tour of the grounds. HOT. Our guide, Peter, had so many interesting facts about the history of the plantings and about the trees as he led us along the Pine Walk and the Holly Walk. We stopped to admire the beautiful flowers in the Dahlia Garden that is maintained by the L. I. Dahlia Society. A walk along the Connetquot River led the group to the lawn and manor house, where some members went for lunch in the cafe. It is always well worth a visit to Bayard. http://www.bayardcuttingarboretum.com/
Seatuck put out a call for help restoring Penataquit Creek in Bay Shore and, on October 5, a few SSGC members pitched in and pulled invasive weeds from the creek. A messy job, but they did it!
SEPTEMBER 2019
Welcome back everyone! After a warm and, we hope, relaxing summer, members attended the first meeting and luncheon for the new term. The officers for 2019-2020 were welcomed in: President Becky Halleron, VP Michelle Pittman, Treasurer Beth McCurdy, Recording Secretary Jane Arbeiter, Corresponding Secretary Mary Ann Moynihan and Club Representative Marilyn LaPenta. An enthusiastic round of applause was given to outgoing President Tina Mattimore and her officers. The Hospitality Committee served a delicious lunch at the conclusion of the business meeting.
MAY 2019
May first was a damp and chilly day, but it didn’t stop our members from touring the Connetquot River State Park Preserve in Oakdale. Our tour began with a walk through the South Side Sportsmen’s Club, seen below, that was built in the late 19th century. What an interesting history. We then followed our guide, Pam, up to the hatchery where staff members were collecting trout in seining nets, then releasing them into the river. It was fascinating to see the process up close.
photo of building courtesy of violethaze/wikipedia
MARCH 2019
With a little help from our friends, ie Becky Halleron and Mary Ann Moynihan, SSGC members got together for a refresher workshop on flower arranging. Becky and Mary Ann chose flowers that any of us could find at the local market – beautiful tulips, thistle, roses – and Mary Ann even brought greens from her yard. We all followed their lead and came away with some very pretty arrangements. Thank you, Mary Ann and Becky!
FEBRUARY 2019
Every February, the GCA hosts the annual National Affairs and Legislation Conference in Washington, DC. and this year our delegate, Betsy Mayo, attended. The NAL Committee keeps GCA clubs up to date on federal policy initiatives. For more information, please go to the GCA website where you will find a more thorough reporting on NAL activities.
On Wednesday, February 13, members got together at the Bay Shore Brightwaters Library to make Valentine’s Day arrangements that were then delivered to the residents of Momentum Nursing Home in East Islip. What a good time we had!
DECEMBER
After deciding to change things up this year and forego our traditional Holiday Luncheon, club members invited friends and family to the first annual Christmas Cheer, a cocktail party fundraiser. The evening party at Seatuck was a great success. Tabletop trees, decorated by garden club members, were auctioned to an appreciative group of guests, as was a beautiful wreath of greens donated by Maura Brush of Old Westbury, and a spectacular centerpiece made by our own Mary Miller. Guests enjoyed all types of appetizers and finger food, beer and wine, live music, and the festive company of their neighbors. Thank you to all who put in the effort to making this a wonderful night. Merry Christmas!
NOVEMBER
This is the month to get our plans for the Christmas Cheer Party in order. Tina distributed tabletop Christmas trees to everyone to decorate for auction at our December cocktail party at Seatuck. Committees were formed and volunteers were assigned duties-looks like we’re going to be busy!
South Side volunteers helped decorate the mansion at Seatuck for the Christmas season.
OCTOBER
Members were delighted to attend a floral arranging workshop by Old Westbury Gardens’ Maura Brush. Maura gave a powerpoint presentation that showed some of her creations at Old Westbury, followed by a hands-on demonstration, encouraging us to use material we can find in our gardens. Becky Halleron “volunteered” to show us that we too can make an arrangement after watching Maura select and place the roses, dahlias, fruit and greens that she brought with her.
As a fundraiser, our club set up tables on Michelle Pittman’s front lawn to coordinate with the Village of Brightwaters’ autumn Community Yard Sale In The Park.
SEPTEMBER
We met at the Bay Shore Brightwaters Library for our first meeting of the year after the summer recess. Members brought cuttings and seeds from their yard for a plant exchange, and some got advice from Mary Miller on the coleus standards we’ve been training. Some were doing better than others!
SOUTH SIDE GARDEN CLUB 