For 35 years, the Mystic Garden Club’s main source of revenue has been from our Green Sale. This year’s production was unparalleled in the history of this sale.
Linda McArthur and Barbara Tacy built upon their experience as directors from last year to assemble a strong cast of players and materials with which they could accentuate their art skills.
Nancy Hevenor beat the publicity drum louder than ever before to attract new customers. Thanks to our new wreath supplier, Tim Black (Timbuck 2, 215 Flanders Rd. Groton), the fresh, well-bound greens were a pleasure to decorate.
Our Monday workshops produced high end natural tree trimmings which commanded higher prices and we were able to add to our normal revenue stream with the wooden swans supplied by Pam Arguelles from her husband, Roger’s, workshop.
The productivity of our presale workers was enhanced by the high caloric munchies organized by Candi Briggs. Mary Ann little did her usual great job to ensure that the advanced sale orders were received and delivered. Donations of wreaths were made to the Mystic & Noank Library, the Nature Center, the Denison Homestead, the Mystic River Historical Society, and to the Stonington Historical Society.
As we have recently seen on Broadway, no production can proceed without the stagehands, and Connie Blair’s group of tiers and wirers set the scenery for the main act to come.
Our two gleaners, Sue Johnson and Carol Conor, denuded the countryside of greens which Amy Bush and her staff made into sprays while Barbara Ginsberg and her team made over 100 boxwood trees which quickly sold out.
Amy also organized the pre-performance cocktail party and those who made the food outdid themselves. One of the bartenders, who seeks anonymity, even kept serving the parking attendant the next day.
Before the curtain opened, Pam Arguelles, Jane Bogden and Nancy White made up a beautiful array of custom wreaths for our stage manager Irene Trimble to display indoors while Shinny Stone and Cynthia Benfield worked outdoors cutting the gleaners’ greens into manageable pieces.
In the meantime Peg Maxon was cleaning up underfoot from the beginning until the lights finally went out.
After the curtain fell on Saturday afternoon, Diane Davis and her cashiers gathered the receipts together to discover that all box office records had been shattered on the 35th year of blood, sweat and tears.
Thanks to all of you who kept your covenant with the Garden Club to sacrifice your time and energy after Thanksgiving to help fund the contributions we make to our Community.
Gail Ettinger, President Mystic Garden Club
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