When it comes to making things grow, the members of the Corbin Garden Club know exactly what to do. It’s their passion, and it’s what they aim to accomplish each day not only in their gardens, but throughout the local community as well.
This was the main message of a presentation given at last week’s meeting of the Corbin Rotary Club by Corbin Garden Club Vice President DeAnne Massey-Slater. Her visit was just one of the many ways that the club was able to celebrate National Garden Week, which was officially recognized between June 1-7.
“Together, I think that we can cultivate spaces that inspire, connect, and nurture the people here in Corbin,” Massey-Slater said during her presentation.
Members of the Corbin Garden Club, which is part of the National Garden Club organization that includes just under 140,000 members, have dedicated countless hours over the years to beautification efforts in the city. This year, they went all out with their National Garden Week activities in conjunction with the state-level “Make Your Hometown Beautiful” initiative. The main objective of the local initiative is a partnership with the city to beautify the area surrounding Engineer Street Bridge. These efforts got underway last Friday, but were hampered somewhat by rain showers that moved into town that afternoon. Work is slated to continue on the project in the coming days.
Other Corbin Garden Club activities during National Garden Week this year included delivering flowers to local businesses and nursing homes, reading books during the Corbin Public Library’s weekly Toddler Time programming, and creating “seed bombs,” which contain a collection of various types of wildflower seeds.
On Thursday, June 5, while Massey-Slater was making her presentation to the Rotary Club, fellow club member Carcille Burchette offered a horticulture display and live floral arrangement demonstrations at the library. Prior to meeting at the Engineer Street bridge on Friday, club members gathered to do maintenance work around the Gold Star Memorial in NIBROC Park.
Gold Star Memorials are placed by Garden Club members in order to honor military service members who have lost their lives in the line of duty. The Corbin Garden Club partnered with the City of Corbin to install the marker in NIBROC Park in the fall of 2023.
The Corbin Garden Club has also overseen the installation of two Blue Star Memorials, which honor all men and women who serve in the U.S. armed forces. One is located in front of the old Corbin City Hall in downtown, and the other can be found at the rest area facility at the Kentucky-Tennessee state line in southern Whitley County.
Massey-Slater also pointed out during her presentation that the Corbin Garden Club is nationally recognized, recently winning several state-level awards for their dedication to providing environmental education to local youth, their yearly National Garden Club Week activities, and for maintaining a strong social media presence, among other efforts.
The Corbin Garden Club meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 11:30 a.m. at the Corbin Public Library. Massey-Slater said that anyone interested in learning about how to get involved with the club is welcome to attend a meeting. Additional information can also be obtained by visiting the club’s official Facebook page, or by visiting the National Garden Club website at www.gardenclub.org.
