CAZENOVIA — On Friday, Dec. 2, the Cazenovia Garden Club (CGC) will hold a fundraiser sale during the annual Cazenovia Christmas Walk.

For over 70 years, the CGC has worked — often behind the scenes — to beautify the community and bring together people with mutual interests in home gardens and civic improvement.

During this year’s Christmas Walk, CGC members will be selling festive small table arrangements as well as mug-sized arrangements suitable as presents for teachers or hostess gifts.

The members will create the arrangements during a Dec. 1 workshop using a combination of natural greenery such as fir, juniper, cedar, pine, hemlock, boxwood and balsam, and other decorative materials, such as seasonal ribbon, faux berries, dried seed pods, and pinecones.

The club will set up the sale on Albany Street prior to the tree lighting to allow passersby to make purchases both before and during the Christmas Walk.

“We hope to make a profit of $1,000 to $1,500, which is not earmarked for a specific project but [will be] added to the general funding for all projects,” said CGC President Glenda Pugh.

The sale is being organized by CGC Fundraising Committee members Bonnie McCabe, Catherine Mcdonough, Mimi Weber, Phyllis Lawrenz and Pat Hill.

CGC is a non-profit organization that is a member of both the VI District of the Federated Garden Clubs of New York State, Inc. and the Central Atlantic Region of National Garden Clubs, Inc.

Founded in 1949 and federated in 1960, the club aims to stimulate interest in horticulture, develop skills in the beautification of home and community, create an awareness of national and local conservation problems, inspire a desire to serve in these areas, and further the goals and objectives of the regional and national organizations to which it belongs.

Each year, the club contributes thousands of dollars and countless volunteer hours to the community by providing flowers, tending gardens, and planting trees throughout the village.

In preparation for the holiday season, the CGC provides lighted wreaths for the lampposts throughout the Historic Business District, decorates hayracks and window boxes, and coordinates with the village to hang garland on storefronts and the Village Fountain. It also donates Christmas gifts to CazCares food pantry and clothing closet.

The club, which is a member of the Greater Cazenovia Area Chamber of Commerce, provides and maintains plants at the Cazenovia Area Volunteer Ambulance Corps building, Carpenter’s Barn, the Gothic Cottage, Lakeland Park, the Post Office, and both village welcome signs on Route 20. It also provides and maintains annual plantings in hanging baskets on lampposts, in sidewalk planters, and in window boxes throughout the village.

Additionally, the organization funds an annual scholarship for a Cazenovia High School senior to study horticulture, donates pantry items at monthly meetings to CazCares, coordinates the spring cleanup and mowing of the NYS parking area at the south end of Cazenovia Lake, supports the Cazenovia Tree Commission, and plants and maintains gardens at the Cazenovia Public Library, the Veterans Baseball Field, and the Village Fountain.

On Sept. 15, 2022, club members planted 200-plus daffodil bulbs at the southeast end of the lake, plus additional bulbs at the fountain and under the sign at Lakeland Park.

All the plants, planters, hanging baskets, wreaths, garlands, and bows used in CGC projects are paid for by the club itself.

Throughout the years, CGC initiatives have been funded by the club’s annual spring and holiday plant sales.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the club was forced to cancel its 2020 spring sale as well as its 2020 and 2021 holiday sales.

The CGC’s fundraising challenges have been compounded by increasing costs from suppliers and competition from “big box” retailers, both of which have resulted in reduced profits from the annual sales.

The club’s most recent fundraiser was a perennial-only sale at the Cazenovia Farmers’ Market on June 4, 2022.

“We are delighted to help kick off the holiday season with our Christmas Walk sale on Dec. 2,” said Hill. “We look forward to interacting with the community and being part of such a festive Cazenovia tradition.”

Tax-deductible donations to the club can be mailed to the Cazenovia Garden Club, P.O. Box 54, Cazenovia, NY 13035. Donations will support the CGC’s community gardening projects.

The garden club is also welcoming new members.

Active members are expected to attend regular monthly meetings, which are held on the first Tuesday of the month and typically include guest speakers. Working members are required to work a minimum of eight hours per year on CGC projects. All membership dues go towards covering the club’s operating expenses.

To learn more about getting involved with the organization, visit cazenoviagardenclub.org or contact CGC Membership Chair Kerstin McKay at [email protected].