Music at the Arboretum
I hope you were able to enjoy our arboretum concerts this summer. All were well attended in this, our fifth season of music. Because of bad weather – too cold, too hot, and too wet – the first three concerts were held inside the Secrest Welcome and Education Center (SWEC) instead of the John Streeter Garden Amphitheater. Having SWEC as the backup location meant we could wait until an hour before concert time to decide to move inside. We got more use out of the portable stage that Friends purchased over the winter than expected. Both performers and audience members were impressed by the great acoustics. Friends pays 100% of the performer’s fees, so we are only able to offer the shows through the generosity of our donors.
Garden Fair
The fourth annual Garden Fair was a great success thanks to the hard work of over thirty volunteers. We had great vendors with a wide range of items for sale to enhance your home and garden. The food trucks were also a big hit. Friends made approximately $6,000 from the Fair making it one of our top revenue sources.
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 3rd. Secrest staff and the FSA Board will be giving updates on Secrest and 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:
- Robert Everett – President
- Karen Lesiecki – Vice President
- Anne Wilson – Treasurer
- Andrew Cerniglia – Corresponding Secretary
- Linda Irwin – Recording Secretary
- Larry Madden – At Large
I’d like to thank Merry Gentry and Karen Edgington for their years of Board service. Both have contributed much to Friends, and both continue to support Secrest in multiple ways. Larry Madden joined the Board in July. We will also be voting on some Bylaw changes. A draft of the proposed changes will be posted to the FSA website by Monday, September 15th.
Autumn Discovery Day Plant Sale
The member’s presale is Friday, October 3rd, 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 4th from 9 am until noon or 1:00 pm, depending on demand. As a reminder, FSA members receive a 10% discount at the plant sale. Please also check out the FSA logo branded apparel and tote bags available at the sale.
Secrest Select Plants
If you want to make a recommendation for next year’s class of trees, shrubs and perennials, please use the online form on the Secrestselect.com website. If you attended our recent plant sales, you 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.
Final Thoughts
The FSA Board and I hope that you can come to many of the events we sponsor and enjoy the beauty of Secrest Arboretum throughout the year. You can keep track of coming events through Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Friends.of.Secrest, our website https://www.friendsofsecrest.com/, or Secrest’s website https://secrest.osu.edu/.
As always, please reach out to me at friendsofsecrest@gmail.com should you have questions about FSA.
–Bob Everett, President, Friends of Secrest Arboretum