On April 17, members of the Nora Lancaster and Weyanoke garden clubs gathered to celebrate the founding of both clubs over 60 years ago, on April 18, 1952. Forty members and guests attended the event, which was held at the College Church Fellowship Hall at Hampden-Sydney.

Among the 40 were past presidents of each club: for the Weyanoke Garden Club, Deanna Fehrer, Susan Paul, Myra Green, Nancy Andrews, Jeanne Lafoon and Beth Woodruff; for the Nora Lancaster Garden Club, Nancye Noel, Frances Pairet, Daphne Mason, Connie Moore, Jane Crute and Barbara Smith.

It was a day to enjoy wonderful food, including a beautiful cake artfully decorated to celebrate the passage of the years since these clubs were founded. Each table was decorated with a floral arrangement in a teapot. Completing the theme, a pewter teapot belonging to Nancye Noel, the oldest surviving member of either club, occupied pride of place next to the anniversary cake. Flowers decorating this teapot came from Nancye’s backyard.

There is a special bond between these two garden clubs, since they both originated on the same day and at the same place. The guest of honor, Nancye Noel, recalled the event.

On that April day in 1952, 12 friends gathered in her home to establish a club dedicated to gathering and disseminating knowledge about gardening and to creating beautiful floral arrangements for their homes. Since the clubs were going to meet in homes, and since many others who could not come to this meeting had expressed interest, it became readily apparent that there were too many ladies for one club. Thus two clubs were formed.

One group formed the foundation for the Weyanoke Garden Club, named for the Indians who once lived in the area. The other group established the Nora Lancaster Garden Club, named for the late Mrs. John A. Lancaster who was renowned for her knowledge of flowers and gardening. Current club presidents Sandy Heinemann (Weyanoke) and Rebecca Kelly (Nora Lancaster) noted the many contributions of the two clubs over the years.

Both highlighted the accomplishments of their respective clubs. These included providing opportunities for Farmville women to learn more about successful gardening practices, as well as ways to enhance the beauty of their homes and public places with flower arrangements. The club presidents emphasized special projects or programs sponsored by their respective groups.

The Weyanoke club, created small flower arrangements for Meals on Wheels and hospice clients, maintained the window boxes at the train station, decorated Holly Manor at Christmastime, and sponsored a student to attend the Nature Camp supported by the Virginia Federation of Garden Clubs. Nora Lancaster Garden Club decorated golf carts with flowers and participated in the Farmville bicentennial parade in 1998; it also hosted a lecture by renowned gardening/ flower arranging author Nancy Ross Hugo, to which all the garden clubs in Farmville were invited.