Hampton Roads Garden Club
Membership Meeting Minutes
December 9, 2025
The Home of Mary Kay Lawson
Welcome/Call to Order
President Ann Fisher welcomed members to the meeting and thanked them for braving the wintery weather! Ann thanked Mary Kay Lawson for hosting us in her beautiful home and the outstanding luncheon committee, Val Bowen, Anne Abraham, Tyra Freed and Sue Morgan, for all they have done to plan and prepare for today’s luncheon.
Recording Secretary, Jennifer Dick, called the roll. There were 36 members present. We happily welcomed associate members, Marsha Amory, Midge Eason, Nancy Horgan, Maureen Hutchens, Gay Huffman and Milly Wassum who also joined today’s meeting.
A motion was made to approve the November minutes as corrected. The change was Cabell West’s award was the Massie Medal for Distinguished Achievement deleting the Bessie Bocock Carter Conservation Award. The motion to approve the corrected minutes was seconded and passed unanimously.
Officer Reports
President’s Report-Ann Fisher
Ann thanked Martha Sides for organizing our food assignment for the November meeting of the Peninsula Council of Garden Club. It was a bountiful spread of food that was enjoyed by all with a Fall floral arrangement as only Martha can create! Floral designer, Jeremy Schmidt offered great tips while creating numerous arrangements which were all raffled off. Thank you, Martha for leading the charge!
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On December 1st, Ann joined Sherry Maynard and Jennifer Dick at Deer Park Elementary School for a meeting with the school Principal, Mr. Scott Meadows, to hear about a potential community project! The details are in the development stages, but we hope that he will be able to attend our March meeting to share the proposal. Deer Park is the Environmental Science Magnet School in Newport News.
Thanks to Rita Quinn for organizing our Poinsettia Sale deliveries! Once again, Mother Nature had other plans for the original delivery day of Dec. 2nd, but Rita’s quick thinking postponed from a day with heavy rain to a brisk sunny day on the 3rd. I know she has not quite crossed the finish line, but at least it is sight! Thanks to all of you who got out and took lots of orders for us this year. It takes a village to make all our project’s work!
Lastly, Ann gave a big shout out to Allison Clock, Jennifer Dick, Anne Harrison Harris Mary Johnson and Sidney Jordan. In August of 2024, they agreed to serve on a By Laws Revision committee which evolved into a commitment that will have lasted 18 months before it is completed! I cannot count the number of zoom meetings we have had, each lasting 2 or more hours. Our plan is to present the updated bylaws to you at our January meeting with hopes of voting for their approval in February. With that said, I wanted to thank each of them with this small token of my appreciation. They have all gone above and beyond the call of duty. I cannot thank you enough for all that you brought to the table, your perseverance, your attention to detail, and your dedication to finishing well. Thank you so much!
Vice President – Allison Clock
Allison also thanked hostesses for the luncheon today. She announced our January 13th meeting will be at the Woman’s Club of Hilton Village with speaker, Alexandra Cantrell from the Norfolk Botanical Garden on the “Planning of a Pollinator Garden.”
Treasurer-provided via email by Sam Bishop
The Towne Bank balance as of12/9/2025 was $63,136.51.
Committee Reports:
Admissions – Dale Lively
Dale reported the Admissions Committee would be hosting a new member orientation. The exact date was pending the availability of members.
Community-Sherry Maynard
Sherry shared the Holiday activity for Harbor Apartments was postponed due to the weather. More details to follow. All are welcome to participate. Sherry also shared more information about the courtyard project at Deer Park. She stated Scott Meadows would be coming to our meeting in March to talk to the club about the project.
Fundraising- Ann Moir for Teresa Robinson
Save the Date of February 17, 2026, for Bubbles, Beads and Bids a fundraising event. Donations are currently being accepted. Members are free. Guests are $10. Please bring donations to the January/February meeting or contact Teresa Robinson for pick-up.
Historic Garden Week- Stacy Queensberry
Looking for the perfect gift for the holidays? Historic Garden Week has you covered this year! The Hampton-Newport News Tour has paper tickets this year and they are available for sale now! Tickets purchased on-line through GCV do not go on sale until the middle of February so if you want to give the gift of HGW to someone, act now! Tickets are $45.00 and can be purchased by contacting HGW Chairman Stacy Queensberry. This year they are offering a ticket for children. Payment may be in the form of a check or Venmo. Start checking people off your list now!
HGW Marketing News: Stacy showed the members the Scout Guide that featured Historic Garden Week and our guidebook pages, which featured our own, Mindy Beasley’s home.
Horticulture and Artistic Design – Paige Kremp
Paige reported she has signed up for October 7, 2026 Fine Arts and Flowers. The artwork will be available for selection on February 10th. If you are interested in being part of the flower arranging team, please email Paige.
Peninsula Council of Garden Club-Martha Sides
Martha thanked everyone for all the delicious food provided for the December meeting. It was enjoyed by many. She reminded everyone of the upcoming PCGC meeting dates and hopes to see everyone there.
Photographer– Mary Johnson for Amanda Graham
Mary reminded us of the winter photography challenge. Details are in the Ivy Anchor and on the GCV website. Also, please send photos to Amanda for the Ivy Anchor!
Ways and Means:
Poinsettia Sale-Rita Quinn
Rita reported the committee made approximately $4000 for the club during this year’s sale. She thanked everyone for all their hard work and sales. They will be finishing the final deliveries to local churches in the next week or so.
Charleston Bus Trip-Kristin Barnes
Kristin has been in contact with the Historic Charleston Foundation about this year’s tours and has set a date of March 23-26 for the trip. This year’s trip will feature homes on Triad Street. The details of the trip and the itinerary are in your email. $100 deposits are still being accepted. Roommate sheets were passed out. Please complete and send it back to Kristin. This year there will be an optional tour of Magnolia Plantation for $45.
Announcements-Ann Fisher
Ann reminded members to read The Ivy Anchor for information about the club each month along with important upcoming dates. Ann also wished all the December birthdays a very Happy Birthday and a Merry Christmas and Happiest of Holidays to all!
Adjournment:
With no further business, the meeting was adjourned for lunch by Ann Fisher.
Respectfully Submitted,
Jennifer Dick
Recording Secretary
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