The Holden Beach Beautification Club welcomed speakers from the Cape Fear Orchid Society to the January meeting.  Members learned how to select and care for orchid plants and how to encourage an orchid to rebloom.  Orchids can be easy to grow once one understands more about them.  They are tough, tolerant and the blooms can last for months.  Many orchids are epiphytes, or air plants, and their roots need air.  Unlike other plants, their potting media is for support, not nutrients, so overwatering is frequently a problem for gardeners.  Three phalaenopsis orchids were raffled off to lucky members.

Our hostesses were Judy Brock (chairman), Carol Keane, Alice Polo, and Lindy Collinson.

The club is also preparing for the annual White Elephant Auction to be held on February 8th.  Members should drop off their items the day before or contact Diana or Gina for pick up.  The auction has grown every year and this year’s looks to be largest yet, with exciting items such as a custom boat cruise.  Members are encouraged to bring a friend and the community is also welcomed and encouraged to get in on the bargains!  All proceeds go towards the Club’s mission of beautifying the island!

December Hostesses

The HBBC welcomed Eve Black Venters to the December meeting.  Eve showed us how she creates gorgeous wreaths that she uses throughout the year to decorate her homes.  Her wreaths were so beautiful that a workshop will be scheduled this spring to allow members to create their own wreaths plus some to sell at the Festival booth.

The hostesses for the meeting, Jean Smithson (chairman), Jane Decker, Bennie Hall, and Becky Willis provided refreshments with a holiday flair.  Since it is time to divide plants in our gardens, the Plant Sale Committee wants to remind everyone to pot up those extras for the spring Plant Sale, April 28 – 29.  Extra pots are available. Contact Pat Schwaiger for details.

The gardens are now ready for cool weather and will soon be looking beautiful!  After a delay due to the County’s water emergency, Padgett Garden and Extension, Town Hall and the Pocket Park were planted yesterday with pansies, snapdragons and other cool weather annuals.  Fresh soil and mulch were also added to dress up the areas.  Watch for a surprise “HB” when the plants settle in and start blooming!

Many thanks to the Landscaping Committee, other club members and spouses.  This hard working group did a great job!

The Holden Beach Beautification Club celebrated Thanksgiving with spouses, friends and family at this month’s meeting.  A full Thanksgiving feast of turkey and all the trimmings along with festive fall decor and table settings were highlights!

Hostesses Ann Landis (chair), Gina Martin, Lillian West and Peggy Schiavone coordinated the meal.  Town Manager David Hewett also joined us and shared the good news that bulldozers and equipment will soon be on the beach strand for the Central Reach Renourishment Project.

Mark Pompeii shared information about a charity motorcycle ride to benefit Buckle Up For Ryan in memory of officer Frank Dilworth’s son Ryan.  The ride is November 12.  If you are not riding you can still participate by having lunch at Mainstreet Grill with the riders.  Click here for more information.

Planting of the gardens for winter will begin next Thursday, November 17 at 9:00am.  The Landscaping Committee will be meeting at Town Hall.  If you have a large vehicle, pick up is the day before, Wednesday, November 16.  Meet at the Chapel at 1:00pm.  Contact Becky Willis for more information.

Gayle Todd, Committee Chairman Connie Jo Boyte, and Becky Willis. Not pictured Linda and Freddie Rast.

Ahhh…Welcome to Fall in Holden Beach!  The summer crowds of visitors seem to take the humidity with them when they leave.  Clear blue skies, with temperatures in the upper 70’s during the day and cooling off in the evenings lets our little slice of heaven shine this time of the year!

The Seasonal Decorations Committee has been busy appreciating autumn all over Town.  Committee Chairman Connie Jo Boyte and her committee have been hard at work.  The Town Hall has been decorated to reflect the changing seasons along with the Padgett Garden.  Due to the County’s water emergency, fall planting in the gardens has been postponed until outside irrigation is again allowed.

Be sure to stop by the Holden Beach Beautification Club’s booth at Festival By the Sea this weekend, October 29-30.

Our famous calendars are in and you can pick one up!  Each year Beautification Club members collect their most beautiful photos of the Holden Beach area for the annual calendar.  The very best are selected for the calendar which is professionally produced in limited quantities each fall.  The calendars are collectible, and are also popular holiday gifts.

In addition, check out our booth for some wonderful planters and other goodies from the talented HBBC ladies.  There will be hyper-tufa planters, draped concrete planters and a return of the very popular garden Lady Bugs!

Best of all, all proceeds from our booth go to fund the club and our mission to beautify the public garden areas of Holden Beach.

After postponing for a week due to Hurricane Matthew, HBBC welcomed Sally Edge, the owner and artist of Carolina Starfire, LLC.   She was born in Raleigh, NC and graduated from UNCW with a degree in Marine Biology. Her career includes six years with CP&L at the Brunswick Nuclear Plant and over 20 years in sales and marketing with a large corporation out of Virginia.

After retiring in 2008, Sally and husband Tom moved back to NC.  In 2009, Carolina Starfire, LLC was licensed and began operations as a private stained glass studio located across the waterway from Holden Beach.

Altogether they have almost 20 years of experience working with art glass.  Tom is a mosaic artist, specializing in stained glass-on-glass panels and birdhouses.  Sally typically employs the more traditional copper-foil technique in her pieces, but loves to add found bits and objects like vintage jewelry, plates, rondels and wire to her pieces.  Their business offerings include original art, private commissions and mosaic training classes (winter).  You can see her work at Festival by the Sea.

Sandy McClellan was introduced as our newest member by her sponsor Donna Aycock.  Yearbooks were distributed, Members who missed the meeting can contact Gina or Linda for their book.

Members should watch their email for sign-ups for the Thanksgiving meeting.  Bring a spouse or friend to join us for this popular annual meeting!

Is Beautification dangerous? Our Executive Board makes it seem that way! Past President Gayle Todd, President Gina Martin, Treasurer Donna Aycock and Secretary Linda Rast show off their new “fashion accessories”!

Hostesses Sharon Butler, JoAnn Burke and Becky Greene

Linda Rast welcomes new member Sandy McClellan with her sponsor Donna Aycock.

As time for the Festival By the Sea draws closer, the Art Committee continues to work on planters to sell in the HBBC booth.  The group met recently to paint the draped planters they had created earlier and allowed to dry.  The bright, cheerful colors will look stunning filled with fall blooms!   Make sure to stop by the HBBC booth at Festival By the Sea, October 29-30, to see the finished planters!

Members have been busy creating planters to be sold at Festival by the Sea, October 29-30.  The first work day was spent creating hyper-tufa planters.  The second work day members created draped planters.  The unique planters are made with a combination of cement and fabric and will be painted after they have dried.  Thanks ladies for all your hard work, we can’t wait to see the finished planters!

The Holden Beach Beautification Club kicked off another year with the theme “Cultivating Connections as We Bloom on the Coast”.  The speaker was Michelle Cousineau, curator of the Brunswick County Botanical Gardens in Bolivia, who presented “Fall Preparation of Your Garden”.   She shared tips on fall pruning, fertilizing and preparing for winter.  

Committee chairs shared their plans for the year and signed up volunteers.  The first field trip will be October 7 to Brunswick Town, a pre-revolutionary port town on the Cape Fear River.  We will leave the Chapel at 9:00AM for a 10:00AM film and guided tour followed by lunch in South Port.  Contact Diana Hadesty for more information or to sign up.

Cecelia Weston, Art Committee Chair, is coordinating workshops for hyper-tufa planters, draped planters and cement leaves for the Festival By the Sea.  Contact Cecelia for details and to help out.

Next month’s meeting will feature Sally Edge speaking on “Garden Mosaics”.  Sally has 20 years of experience with art glass and likes to use copper foiling and found pieces in her creations.

Speaker Michelle Cousineau, Gina Martin and Diana Hadesty.

Hostesses for the September meeting were Joyce Lanning, Connie Edwards, Carolyn Metrakos, and Donna Blume.