Highlights from Durham Council's Annual Meeting

GCNC Ways and Means Chair, Youth Club Chair and District 8 Director Darene Honeycutt installed the new 2015-2017 Durham Council Officers. L-R: Treasurer Martha Sanderford, Secretary Bonna Robbins (Rhonda Pollard accepting), Second Vice-President Marcia Loudon, First Vice-President Karen Bordeaux (Linda Yankes accepting) and President Ardith Pugh.

The Durham Council of Garden Clubs was "tickled pink" as it held its Annual Meeting May 5 at the James Sprunt Hill House in Durham. Six of the 10 Council garden clubs were in attendance. Highlights of the meeting included installation of 2015-17 officers and discussion about hosting two large district and state level meetings during the 2015-2016 fiscal year.

Future hosted meetings include:

• District 9 Meeting, "Birds, Bugs and Butterflies Aid Sustainability" -  October 22, 2015, at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church on Hillandale Road, from  9-2 p.m.
• The Garden Club of North Caroline Annual Meeting ,"Unfrozen" -  April 17-19, 2016, held at the Sheraton Imperial off of I-40 and Page Road in RTP.

Second Vice-President Marcia Loudon, who is chairing both meetings, put out sign-up sheets and made a call for volunteer roles needed for the events.

The Council Annual Meeting also entertained discussion about the proposed 2015-2016 budget and fundraising for the hosted meetings. Incoming Council President Ardith Pugh reported already starting a sizeable “trash-to-treasures” collection for the 2016 GCNC Annual Meeting. (During the 2012 hosting of the GCNC Fall Board Meeting, the Durham Council raised over $2,300 in combined revenue of silent auction and trash-to-treasures sales.)

Installation of new officers wrapped up the Council's Annual Meeting. Special guest District 8 Director Darene Honeycutt took cue from incoming President Ardith Pugh’s passion for antique hunting and brought in a hot pink plastic trash can filled with a broad range of ironic gifts and tools for each officer to fulfill her respective duties, for example, Treasurer Martha Sanderford was given an assortment of cutting/trimming tools. Most items were branded with pink ribbon breast cancer awareness logos as Darene exclaimed she was “tickled pink” to usher in the Durham Council’s new directors.