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Getting the Point...
Meet
the People Behind the Plantings: The Village Gardeners
Contributed by Ruth
Fenner Barash
What’s it take to get something done?
Ideas, energy, and money!
In 1999, Doris Cullen and Jim & Terry MacDonald put their
heads together and
decided to do something about the waterless, lightless planting
island in
the middle of Lido Boulevard at the beginning of the town. They
wanted a water
supply and electrical connections so that the plantings could be
properly
tended and illuminated…and they were assured that it couldn’t
be done. So
they got themselves incorporated as a not-for-profit
corporation, The Village
Gardeners, Inc., with Jim as president, Doris as Treasurer and
Terry as
secretary, and Dana Conklin as chief creative consultant. And
they set to
work.
Their ideas were simple but powerful: in addition to
provisioning the island with water and electricity, through the
generosity of Betty Sweeney, they
were able to give the island a focal point with the nautical
flagpole in
memory of Betty’s late husband, Don Sweeney. Now you can see
which way the
wind is blowing long before you reach the 15-mile-an-hour sign.  In
addition,
The Village Gardeners visualized a handsome “Welcome to Point
Lookout”
sign; a joyous riot of flowers on the boulevard to delight the
eye and
distract it from some of our less-than-distinguished
architecture; and winter
decorations to light up the dreary months.
Another idea was to harness the
gardening instinct of their civic-minded neighbors
to help with the work of planting and maintaining the whiskey barrels and wooden boxes around the town. The
original energy came from Doris, Jim,
Terry and Dana, but in no time they were joined by an enthusiastic
corps of volunteers.
Among the stalwarts who put in muscle-power
and time are:
Linda Brown,Jane Campbell,Alana Chesney,
Patsy Clyne,
Ronnie Conklin,
Mary Dineen,
Carol Gallivan,
Bill Hemp,
Mary Hogan, Frank Koupash,
Kathy & Bobby Lechler, Rob Lewis,
Mr. & Mrs. Henry Marsh,
Colleen Moseman,
Linda & Joe Mulvey,
Jimmy Murphy,
Ellen Murray,
Jane & John Nickelsberg,
Cathy Paz,
Diane & Heinz Posch,
Jackie Raynor,
Ingrid and Jim Stillwagon,
Ginny & Bill Waite,
Donna Walsh,
Pat & Bill White,
and the
commercial establishments that tend to the barrels in front of their own shops.
They pitch in to assist with the summer display, usually
planted around Mother’s Day and the “winter wonderland” of
lights and delights from the beginning of December through the
end of January. Whether rolling up their sleeves at planting
time or adopting one of the Lido Boulevard barrels to deadhead
and keep watered, these fine people make the village a lot more
attractive for all of us.
If you’d like to volunteer, call
Terry at 431-0593.
And then of course the money. The Village
Gardeners’ third idea was to raise funds
for the enterprise from as many people in town as were willing
to donate. If you’ve looked at the last
page of the fund-raising letter you recently
received, you’ll see the exact price of beauty: $15,929.73 for
the 2001-2002 fiscal year. Over two-thirds of that is for the
actual plants, from Angel Plants, a
wholesaler in Deer Park, and Atlantic Nursery in Freeport, plus professional upkeep of the island. The
balance is for other decorations, electricity,
insurance, water, more of the splendid wooden planter boxes that
came on the scene last year .
Do you like what the Village Gardeners are doing? They know
you do: Your response to the fund-raisers has been fabulous.
Respond to this year’s fund-raising letter. If you’ve lost
it, send your contribution to The Village Gardeners, P.O. Box
678, Point Lookout.
What next? There’s no end to the ideas and the energy. And
you’re welcome to send
in your own suggestions for improving the looks and lifting the
spirits of Point Lookout, along with your
check.
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