Gardens Galore tour stops
• Dr. David and Kelly Hart residence, 2511 Canterbury
• Jerry and Karen Steffen residence, 2416 White Sands Drive
• David and Shelly Thill residence, 2623 Dry Creek
• Jerry and Yvonne Schrader residence, 3106 25th St.
• Ken and Rhonda Penka residence, 3201 16th St.
• Refined Medley, owned by Carol Maser, 16th Street and Kansas Ave.
The event runs from 1-4 p.m. Sunday, June 7. Tickets are $5 and are available at the homes on the tour or at the Great Bend Chamber Office, 1125 Williams.
For more information, call the chamber at 620-792-2401.
Spring has arrived and the local Soroptimist International club wants to drive that point home, despite all the rain. The 2015 Gardens Galore garden tour runs from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 7, as part of the June Jaunt weekend.
Maps and addresses for the six homes are provided on the tickets, which are available for $5 per person in advance from the Great Bend Chamber Office, 1125 Williams, or from any garden location on the day of the tour. Garden tourists can start at any garden.
Club member Linda Dougherty said the tour is one of the club’s biggest fundraisers. It also provides a colorful chance for residents to take in the seasonal sights and is an opportunity for the club to give back to the community.
The Great Bend Soroptomist club is a volunteer women’s group focused on the betterment of the community and proceeds from the ticket sales benefit the Great Bend Beautification Committee, under the auspices of the Great Bend Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development. The Beautification Committee coordinates projects that improve the look and feel of the community.
Efforts funded in the past include: Flowers at the Great Bend Municipal Airport, gardens at Veterans Memorial Park, landscaping at the Jack Kilby statue by the Barton County Courthouse, the circle at the Barton County Courthouse Square, some of the statuary at the Great Bend Public Library and improvements at the Great Bend Post Office.
This year, funds will help install decorative birdhouses in the planters on Main Street and help with other public gardening projects.
The committee plants flowers in public spaces, weeds gardens, organizes the grooming of Great Bend’s Broadway islands and more. Projects vary from year to year. It also gives out the Beautification Award to businesses and organizations who make significant strides to improve the look of their storefront locations.
