BROOKSHIRE — An installation service of new officers of the Columbus Garden Club was held recently in a private dining room at Brookwood Community, located down the road in Brookshire. Brookwood Community is one of the projects that is supported by the Columbus Garden Club and other clubs in District IV and in Texas Garden Club Inc. Several times a year, members of the Columbus Garden Club work in the gardens where Brookwood residents grow plants. These plants are sold in the nursery during the year, including growing the beautiful poinsettias that are sold there during the Christmas holidays. It was a beautiful installation service full of flowers, pollinators, and gardening items, thanks to Marian Schonenberg and Janet Johnson. Ericka Braun presented to the members the names of this year's garden club scholarship recipients: Cheyenne Burns, who will be studying education at Blinn in Brenham, with plans to be an elementary teacher or vocational agri-culture teacher focusing on horticulture or floral design.
Madelein Zajicek, who is ranked second in her class and plans to study biology at the University of Texas and become a biology teacher.
Columbus Garden Club is very active in the Columbus community. They plant and maintain: a butterfly garden around the Visitors Center, a native plant and butterfly garden in Midtown Park, the Live Oak rose garden in Midtown Park, the Court Oak planting area, the Blue Star Memorial planting area, and all of the planters around the sitting areas at the Colorado County Courthouse. They decorate the entrance to the Colorado County Fairgrounds each September and they decorate the gazebo area and sitting areas with planters around the courthouse for the fall season. They encourage high school students to help plant and clean up in the garden areas to acquire community service points. The club is very involved under the leadership of Schonenberg in Keep Columbus Beautiful Spring Cleanup, Trash Off, and Fall Sweep and in encouraging recycling.
The club decorates the Dilue Rose-Harris House and Alley Log Cabin during Christmastime and leads tours of children from Columbus Elementary and St. Anthony's school, telling them about how families lived and celebrated Christmas in Columbus back in the 1800s. The club contributes to the Columbus Food Pantry. They encourage teaching Columbus students about the cycles of butterflies and distributing educational materials on plants at the club's annual plant sale. They promote and participate in National Garden Week when club members gather many flowers together to make arrangements for the club to share with members of the County and City government, the medical community, TruCare Living Center, Columbus Oaks, many members in the business community, elder members of the community, and many members in the community. The club started a gardening program for the residents at TruCare Living Center and Columbus Oaks.
The new officers for the Columbus Garden Club include, front row, from left, Secretary Jennie Pritchett, Treasurer Ann Pavliska and First Vice President Nancy Galloway; and, back row, Publicity/Reporter & Historian Velma Harrington, President Regena Williamson, Parliamentarian Wanda Anglin and Second Vise President Cheryl Rose. At the first meeting of the 2025-27 Columbus Garden Club term (September) the new officers were hostesses. Courtesy photo
