Elite 80: At milestone, Dalton Garden Club grows friendship, education, community
PHOTO BY CHRISTINA McCUNE | DGKN
Dalton Garden Club secretary Davida Hamsher pours a sample of dill leaf infusion for Diane Fischnich, Linda Sword and Betty Crouser she prepared that morning for the club’s January meeting at the Dalton Branch library.
PHOTO PROVIDED
Members of the Dalton Garden Club at their 80th anniversary celebration in 2021. Back row from left, Linda Bartel, Nancy Hanson (who passed away Oct. 23, 2021), Judy Decker, Gerri Farnsworth, Donna Tomak, Betty Crouser, Marie Septer; front row from left, Davida Hamsher, Linda Sword, Karen Burns, Dianne Hammer. (Absent from the photo are members Diane Fischnich, Carolyn Husted and Camille Olsen.)
DALTON Who knew the power a pickle could potentially pack?
Or at least the healing properties of the herb in which the pickle has been soaking. Among other qualities, dill is known for combating bad breath, as well as flatulence. You may giggle at that, but don’t knock it ‘til you try it.
Members of the Dalton Garden Club learned last week at their regular monthly meeting about home remedies and uses of several herbs, which can be found locally and some members grow at home.
Many herbs such as oregano and thyme boost the immune system.
For 80 years, the Dalton Garden Club, which first took root in 1941 by the late Margaret Scott with at least 40 members and a waiting list, has been a vibrant group that seems to care about each other as much as they care for their community and everything that grows in it.
Both Camille Olsen, vice president and historian, and Marie Septer, president, have been members for more than 50 years. They agreed that along with camaraderie, they learn something new at every meeting. Olsen’s mother, Edna Schultz, was one of the club’s founding organizers.
The club has about a dozen members now and they are active in the community spreading cheer through colorful arrangements delivered to someone each month who is homebound. The club helped families at Christmas by donating to Christian Children’s Home of Ohio and the CARE team at Dalton Local Schools.
