In the mid-70s, a small group of friends decided to do something the beautify their little town of Glen Arbor, and in 1976 officially formed the Glen Lake Garden Club. Fifty years on, the Glen Lake Garden Club is still at it, though its membership and perspective have broadened. Today its roster numbers between 60 and 70 and the group pursues activities ranging from planting to working on environmental efforts such as removing invasive species and protecting native plants and animals.
The Glen Lake Garden Club will host a presentation titled “Designing with Nature for People + Planet” by Wes Landon of the Grand Rapids firm Nativedge on Tuesday, May 21, at 1 pm at the Glen Arbor Township Hall. The event is free and open to the public. Specializing in native design and placemaking, Landon’s passion is creating resilient, innovative places which inspire, and restore the native environmental fabric of the landscape.
The Glen Lake Garden Club’s full membership as well as friends, spouses and volunteers recently planted a variety of native flowering plants and grasses along a 2,533-square-foot sweep in Old Settlers Park on the east shore of Big Glen Lake.
Tom and Phyl Davis have been part of the Glen Lake community since the 1950s. It started with a cottage on Big Glen Lake. Each year the then young family spent summer vacations in a rented cottage that was part of Peppler Glen View Resort near Old Settlers Picnic Grounds. Their three boys learned how to sail and waterski, honed their swimming skills, and fished to enjoy occasional family fish fries featuring the day’s catch.
Members of the Glen Lake Garden Club took advantage of a recent sunny day to re-decorate the flower barrels in Glen Arbor for the fall. The all-volunteer organization has served the area with conservation and community beautification projects for 40 years. From left: Chris Nettleton, Glen Arbor beautification committee co-chair Maureen Doran, Lorainne Kuk, Nancy Batterson, and Sharon Oriel. Not pictured: garden club president Linda Young.
Members of the Glen Lake Garden Club attached roping and bows onto the Carl Oleson, Jr. Memorial Bridge at the Glen Lake Narrows the weekend before Thanksgiving. The garden club has decorated the bridge at the Narrows each year, except during bridge construction, for over 15 years. The approximately 80 club members fund the project, make the bows, customize the roping, and hang the greens in time to welcome everyone to the Glen Lake area for Thanksgiving.
Members of the Glen Lake Garden Club’s Glen Arbor Beautification Committee braved a chilly morning on May 25 to plant the community flower barrels and planters in Glen Arbor in preparation for Memorial Weekend. This project is supported by the garden club, Glen Arbor Township and Glen Lake Chamber of Commerce. In addition to the Glen Arbor planters, the garden club maintains the gardens at the Glen Lake Community Library.