One delightful indicator of the approaching holiday season in Morrison, IL, appears when Morrison Garden Club members and volunteers fill downtown planters. These range from the intersection of IL Route 78 and U. S. Highway 30, westerly along Main Street, to the Base Street side of City Hall, 200 W. Main Street. This year’s creative enterprise occurred Friday, November 20, 2020; it is the fifth year for their project. In 2020, Morrison Garden Club celebrated its 72nd year of beautification efforts.
Eighteen large, clay pots now are overflowing with a variety of dried and evergreen plants. The 19th, a square container, can be seen in the corner pocket park, west of Morrison’s Heritage Museum. Across the street, three pots edge the area where the City Christmas tree is displayed.
Editor’s note: On Monday, November 23, 2020, City Public Services Director Lori Matlack reported, “[Some of the nine] crew erected the holiday tree today, between 2:30 and 3:00 p.m.” Ornamentation and lights will be next. Illuminated light post garlands need to be wrapped soon. She added a new Department hiree begins in January 2021. Junior High Principal Joe Robbins reported Main Street holiday music will begin the day after Thanksgiving, Friday, November 27. An area radio station broadcasts from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
The Garden Club, volunteers, and community supporters extensively prepare ahead of the decorating day. “There is a lot of stuff to disburse,” Sharon Moore had notified the members. Plans were to meet at 9:30 a.m. in front of Community State Bank, 220 E. Main Street. Before that, Moore unloaded pine cones, dried Hydrangea, Sedum, and Native Prairie Clover from her vehicle. Before that, of course, she had loaded several containers and tools. Others followed the same events to transfer plant material to Main Street.
For days previous, citizens spent hours cutting and gathering items from yards, prairie, and woods. Linda Port cut Sweet Annie from her yard. The Native Prairie Clover was harvested from Vern and Mary Latwesen‘s native prairie. They also donated White Pine, as did Jeff and Linda Wetzell. Jean Eggemeyer and Valerie Stern donated Red Twig Dogwood branches. Moore, Sharon Boyles, and Pat Zuidema donated spikey, shiny, Holly. Myra Huizenga donated evergreens from a tree that went down in a storm, and Bob Shambaugh allowed club members to cut White Cedar from a lost shrub. Becky Brady created 19 holiday bows.
Moore emailed the women, “Bring work gloves, pruners, loppers, a bucket and broom for debris, and a mask!”
On Friday, materials were arrayed on the sidewalk for teams to assemble: White Pine, Blue Spruce, Emerald Green arborvitae, and White Cedar Arborvitae evergreen boughs; three kinds of pine cones; swirly, Curly Willow and Red Twig Dogwood; Holly sprays; fragrant Sweet Annie and other dried florals. Metallic bows finished the pots.
Left-to-right, MGC members Kathy Anderson, Dee Morgan, Jan Kelly, and Linda Wetzell organized their items, for the pot in front of Community State Bank. Their design result is below.
Other members and volunteer participants included Amanda Cook, Mary Latwesen, Meridith Layne, Jan Mayes, Kim Neisewander, Patti Nice, Charla Olson, Judy Rus, Kelly West and daughters Gillian and Wren, and Penny Richmond.
Respectively, Between Friendz and Edward Jones-Terry Wilkens are some of the 19 locations graced by holiday decor, built with nature’s abundance by loving gardeners.
