I hope that your summer activities have included both Secrest Arboretum and the Friends of Secrest Arboretum (FSA). Some highlights and future events for FSA are described below.
Summer Events
The third annual Secrest Garden Fair was the best one yet. Planning is already starting for next year! By the time you receive this, our fourth season of four summer concerts will be over. Attendance has been great, and the music varied. These free concerts are possible only because so many of you support them with your donations each spring. The last two concerts featured the improved amphitheater with better accessibility and handrails.
Secrest Select
If you want to make a recommendation for next year’s class of Secrest Select Plants, please use the online form on the Secrestselect.com website. If you attended our spring plant sale, you would have seen our Secrest Select logo on selected plants. Feel free to email questions to SecrestSelect@gmail.com. We look forward to announcing the next class in the winter.
Annual Meeting
The Annual Meeting of Friends of Secrest Arboretum will be held at the Secrest Welcome and Education Center at 3:00 pm on Friday, October 4th. Secrest staff and the FSA Board will be giving updates on Secrest and on the Friends Organization. You will also be voting on the Board of Directors for the organization for the coming year. Below is the slate of candidates who are running.
They are:
- Robert Everett – President
- Carol Rakoczy – Vice President
- Anne Wilson – Treasurer
- Andrew Cerniglia – Corresponding Secretary
- Merry Gentry – Recording Secretary
- Karen Edgington – At Large
- Linda Irwin – At Large
- Karen Lesiecki – At Large
I’d like to thank Julia Wiesenberg for her years of Board service. She is stepping down due to work and travel commitments. Anne Wilson and Karen Edgington joined the Board in July. In October Anne will become the Treasurer and Linda will become an At Large member, the role she initially had.
Autumn Plant Discovery Day Plant Sale
The member’s presale is Friday, October 4th, immediately after the Annual Meeting whose attendees will be admitted to the sale before those waiting outside. I hope this entices more members to attend the annual meeting! The general sale is Saturday, October 5th from 9 am until noon. As a reminder, FSA members receive a 10% discount at the plant sale. Please also check out our FSA Logo T-shirts – both short and long sleeved – that will be available.
As always, please reach out to me at friendsofsecrest@gmail.com should you have questions about FSA or if you are interested in volunteering – whether as a board member or not.
–Bob Everett, President, Friends of Secrest Arboretum