FAIRBORN — For the members of the Osborn Historic Garden Club, a face-to-face club meeting in the age of coronavirus is a “Bring-Your-own-Lawn-Chair” event.
Having spent the last six months conducting conferences and meeting online, the club of gardeners is finally able to come together outside on the evening of Wednesday, July 15 – while staying six feet apart, of course.
The group has not met since February as the wave of coronavirus first hit the United States. However, this didn’t stop the club from hosting a successful garden show this past June. The tour featured nine gardens in Osborn Historic District and central Fairborn. With proper guidelines in place and guests spread out among the gardens, visitors were still able to enjoy the wide variety of growing spaces that the community has spent the year so far cultivating.
Events across the Miami Valley and around the country have been cancelled due to the risks of COVID-19. For many, the cancellation of events like the Air Force Marathon and the Sweet Corn Festival mean less opportunity to get outside and enjoy the summer weather. However, research has shown that being outside can help reduce the spread of COVID-19, in addition to precautions like masks and social distancing.
The garden tour, held biannually, is the only fundraiser for the garden club besides member dues. In a normal year, the club holds events or programs every month, inviting experts to share their knowledge with the community of gardeners, according to garden tour co-chair Seth Coates-Schlotterbeck. The club also occasionally sponsors trips to gardening events around the state.
The club released a statement earlier this month as a thank you to the community.
“Osborn Historic Garden Club of Fairborn would like to thank members of the area community who turned out on a warm summer day to attend our summer garden tour. We would like to thank artists Tess Little and Bob Coates who loaned sculptures and installed them in the gardens for the tour. This was a unique opportunity to visit beautiful gardens and see these works of art,” the statement said. “Our thanks, too, go to the garden owners who opened their gardens to the public and put so much work into preparing them. Thanks to Carolyn Hollon of Hollon Flowers in Fairborn for selling tickets and serving as start-off location. OHGC also wishes to thank the City of Fairborn for their permission to hold this year’s summer garden tour.”
Those who live in the central Fairborn area and would like to have their garden considered for the 2022 summer garden tour are reminded that the OGHC is always open to welcoming new members. Contact the Osborn Historic Garden Club via Facebook or call Coates-Schlotterbeck at 937-336-4136.
