Barrie Garden Club celebrates 150 years
![Barrie Garden Club celebrates 150 years Barrie Garden Club commemorative plaque, June 17, 2024 (Photo: submitted)](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2024/6/17/barrie-garden-club-celebrates-150-years-1-6929359-1718621801954.jpeg)
The Barrie Garden Club has given the citizens of Barrie respite and beauty during its long tenure in the centre of the city.
Celebrating its 150th anniversary on Sunday at the Dorian Parker Centre in Sunnidale Park, those with green thumbs and without are invited to the park at 1 p.m.
"This isn't your grandmother's horticultural club anymore," said co-president Joan Nieman-Agapas, who manages the garden club with Kimberly Sturge.
"Gardening today now includes discussion and action around climate change, native plants and what we can do to protect and encourage our pollinators, as well as topics that feed our individual gardening souls," said Nieman-Agapas.
- Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox
Initially established as the Barrie Horticultural Society, the first mention of the club was in the August 20, 1874 issue of the Northern Advance newspaper when the writer reported on the horticultural show held in the original Barrie Town Hall.
The writer imagined "we were transported to those fairy lands, of which we had read in the 'Arabian Nights'."
The inaugural membership was 101 gardeners, and the slogan for the society was 'Keep Barrie Beautiful.'
The beautification of the community is a continuing objective of the Barrie Garden Club. The club's legacy is at the arboretum in Sunnidale Park, which was created by the club in 1974. A tour of the arboretum is included in the celebrations on June 23.
In addition to the arboretum tour, the celebration also include guest speakers, presentations, vendors and a commemorative bench dedication to members past, present and future.
Membership includes expert speakers, flower shows, a photography contest, and the opportunity to volunteer at Barrie Garden Club activities, including a community garden at Shear Park, the Pioneer Garden at Fort Willow, the Barrie Library Rooftop Garden, and more.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6940995.1719358769!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Things a pediatrician would never let their child do
As summer begins for most children around Canada, CTV News spoke with a number of pediatric health professionals about the best practices for raising kids, and how the profession has evolved since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Should he stay or should he go now? A look at Trudeau's options after byelection loss
A historic defeat for the Liberals in a downtown Toronto byelection has put a glaring question mark on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's political future. Here's a look at the options Trudeau and the Liberals face as they enter a summer of soul-searching.
Alabama man denied office after winning election reaches proposed settlement to become town's first Black mayor
An Alabama town and a Black man who was prevented from becoming its mayor after winning his 2020 election have reached a proposed settlement, according to federal court documents.
'Why did I have this surgery?' Ont. mother seeks answers after son's tonsil surgery
An Ontario mother said it looked like a horror movie when she flicked on the lights of her son’s bedroom to find him projectile vomiting blood after his tonsils were removed at McMaster Children’s Hospital.
Many older adults are still taking daily aspirin, even though some shouldn't be, experts say
Some seniors continue to take a daily aspirin in the hopes of reducing their cardiovascular disease risk, even though the practice is only recommended for certain high-risk patients -- and taking it without a doctor's recommendation can come with significant risks.
Ukraine's Zelenskyy scolds officials who shirk their duties in the country's war effort
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signalled Wednesday that he is getting tough on officials he suspects are shirking their duties in the war with Russia that is now in its third year.
New experience in Halifax gets people up close and personal to the ocean's most feared predator
Atlantic Shark Expeditions launched a new shark cage experience which gives brave attendees a chance to get up close and personal with the oceans most feared predator.
Pre-med students can't take MCAT in Quebec because of Bill 96
Areeba Ahmed says she's always dreamed of becoming a surgeon but her road to the operating room has become a complicated one ever since Quebec's French language law came into effect.
Suspected North Korean hypersonic missile exploded in flight, South Korea says
A suspected hypersonic missile launched by North Korea exploded in flight on Wednesday, South Korea’s military said, as North Korea protests the regional deployment of a U.S. aircraft carrier for a military drill with South Korea and Japan.