Dearborn Garden Club -
Celebrating over 50 years of federation with Montana Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc.
Wolf Creek, Montana
Lewis & Clark District
Mailing Address: P O Box 263, Cascade, MT 59421-0263

Ann Gerdes [468-2016] and Linda Hinebauch [468-2227] Co-Presidents
Peggy Sloan and Cheryl Quintero- Secretary
Carmen McIlhattan- Treasurer
Donna Ahlert - Parliamentarian
Jo Lee Burman, Barbara Rumford and Cheryl Quintero serve as Directors

Our members are dedicated and busy community volunteers. In addition to our educational programming, we support many worthwhile projects. We have given two food baskets at both Thanksgiving and Christmas to needy families for many seasons. This year we added one making it three baskets per occasion. The increase was possible because an anonymous person helped us and the club increased the dollar amount spent. Stockings increased by ten, forty to fifty, and individuals donating candy, popcorn balls, candy canes, etc., added to their amount of donations. These are given to several charities in Great Falls.

The planting of flowers in the barrels in Cascade and Craig continues with the decor changed to Holiday Wreaths for Christmas. In conjunction with the planting, a best looking barrel contest is conducted during the summer months. We maintain a Mountain Bluebird Trail with houses cleaned each fall and monitored in spring and summer. Cans are recycled to add to our finances and we take care of the south entrance to Cascade and plant, weed and water in support of Joe's Trail. Monthly donations include non-perishable food to the Cascade Food Pantry and monetary help to the Rescue Mission in Great Falls. We also help at Quiet Day Manor in Cascade by decorating the home for Christmas and sponsoring a finger-food luncheon. A worthy charity chosen by club members is given cash each Christmas.

Clean up of Highway 91 between the 247 exit and the Old Hardy Bridge is also one of our spring and fall projects. Several members helped at the school during the summer with a craft program and publicity and displays are done for Garden Club Week in June.

Sponsoring Bingo is our main money making project. This allows us to present at least a $500 scholarship to a Cascade High School student to further his or her education in some way. The award is presented at the Awards Assembly.

We recently completed a very special project. We were able to purchase and put in place a Blue Star By-Way Marker. The first By-Way Marker in the state was made possible by the sale of quilts, hand made by Bonnie Andersen. Pictured below, the Marker was dedicated on November 12th, 2010 and we were proud to have several State Garden Club Officers, members of other clubs, members of the American Legion, who assisted in the dedication, and State House Speaker Mike Milburn among the visitors. Emceed by Helen Shewman, the affair was impressive.

Another of our distinguished feats is having four members of the ten who became National Garden Club Life Members in 2010. Those four are Carmen McIlhattan, Jo Lee Burman, Helen Shewman and Joyce Backa. The membership increase gave the state of Montana an award of $200 for the largest increase of life members per capita, presented at the National Garden Club Convention in Atlanta, Georgia.


To visit the Dearborn Garden Club, join us any third Wednesday. Call one of the co-presidents to find out details as we would enjoy having one and all!