Gravenhurst Horticulture celebrates sapphire jubilee at 70th flower/vegetable show Aug. 8

Celebrate 70 years of the beautifying Gravenhurst Aug. 8 at the Seniors Centre for their annual flower and vegetable show from 2-4 p.m.

GRAVENHURST — Gravenhurst Horticultural Society is heading into a spectacular celebration of history from 1924 to 2018 at their annual flower and vegetable show on Wednesday, August 8 from 2-4 p.m. at the Gravenhurst Seniors Centre.

Treasurer/PR member Lois Cooper spent many hours perusing the town archives at the library this past winter and much of what she found will be on display.

“I spent the month of February reading the Gravenhurst Banner from 1924 to 1950 in the town archives gleaning the information contained in that newspaper, shes said, adding “I did not have time to search the other newspaper in print at the time, so this is not a complete history.”

The horticulture society first met on March 18, 1924.

Forty people met at the Town hall (the opera house) to form a horticultural society.

Officers elected:

President: Dr. L.L. McLeay

1st. V. P.: Mrs. H. Ditchburn

2nd V. P.: Mrs. O’Reilly

Secretary/Treasurer: W. J. Leigh

Directors: Mr. Battersworth, Mr. Hunt, Miss Broughton, Miss Anderson and Mrs. Fletcher, Mrs. Seehaver, Mrs. Slater, Mrs. Groves, Mr.Stamp and Geo. Clipsham.

The first matter taken up was to ask the Town for more water for gardens. More water was not forthcoming.

The first AGM was Jan. 20, 1925.

Officers and committees were re-elected.

“Every ratepayer should join the Society and assist in beautifying Gravenhurst in 1925. The membership is $1.00.” The Banner Jan. 22, 1925

Already the marked improvement in the gardens and general appearance of the Town is very noticeable, the following week’s Banner read on Jan. 29, 1925

The club’s first big accomplishment was working with the CN to beautify the grounds near the train station. CN brought in a car load of top soil to make gardens in front of the Red Gables Hotel and station.

The 1927 board as reported in the Banner was:

President: E. W. Clairmont

1st V.P.: Mrs. W. Hall

2nd V.P.: Mrs. O’Reilly

Secretary-Treasurer: Miss C. Broughton

Directors: Mrs. E. Fisher, Mrs. W. Butterworth, Mrs. Neil Christenson, Mrs. N. O’Reilly, Dr. McLeay, Mrs. H. Ditchburn, Mrs. T. Greavette, Mrs. W. J. Leigh and Canon H. Aliman.

Gardens were planted by the opera house, library and post office, according to The Banner, May 5, 1927.

And so it continued until the Second World War, at which time both the Horticultural Society and the Agricultural Society appear to have fallen by the wayside.

There was much encouragement in the newspaper to keep going.

The agricultural society sold its land to the Town of Gravenhurst and in 1950 the Town saw 50 war time houses built on that property.

However, with encouragement from the Rotary Club of Gravenhurst in 1947, the Gravenhurst Horticultural Society re-formed and produced its first show in 1948.

By 1950 the show set up was pretty much the same as today, only held 10 days later.

Local businesses have been generous in sponsoring many fine gifts and awards which add to the society’s prizes for the over 80 categories including a section right out of the 1948 Flower Show program.

“Come out and show your support for one of the town’s oldest organizations, says Cooper in a release.

“We look forward to many of you enjoying a piece of our celebratory cake and taking the time to read the many display boards or looking through our many photo albums or reading some (copies) ancient minutes which will be available.

Show entry is by donation.

Door prizes include two $50 gift certificates from Earth, Stone & Fire; $25 gift card from Terry’s YIG, a glass garden sculpture by Cooper and a Gravenhurst Horticultural Society hat.

The public is invited to attend from 2-4 p.m.

Enjoy refreshments, visit, reminisce and vote for your favourite show entry.

See you on Wednesday, August 8, 2018 at the Seniors Centre.

— Lois Cooper