The Franklin County Garden Club won a list of state and district awards that were presented during the Tennessee Federation of Garden Clubs’ State Convention held last month in Murfreesboro.

Club awards were presented for the following projects and contests:

Special Awards: Club of Excellence (State); and first place, Scrapbook – 29 Members or More (District);

Blue Star Markers: first place, 31B Blue/Gold Start Marker – Blue Star Marker Celebration (State) – $50 (from Pam Dowd); first place, 29B2 Landscape Design – Blue Star Marker New Landscaping (State); and second place, 10M Landscape Design – Blue Star Marker New Landscaping (Deep South);

Broadview Elementary School: first place, 8A Promotion Gardening Youth – Broadview (State);

Decherd Elementary School: first place, 7A Special Achievement – Decherd (District) and first place, 7A Special Achievement – Decherd (State);

National Garden Week: first place, 25A National Garden Week (District), $50 in native plants; and first place, 25A National Garden Week (State);

New Life Facility: first place, 19C1 Garden Therapy – New Life (District); first place, 19C1 Garden Therapy – New Life (State); and first place, 6M Bird Award – New Life (Deep South);

North Lake: first place, 50A School Grounds Improvement – North Lake (State); and third place, 50A School Grounds Improvement – North Lake (Deep South);

Publication Fliers for National Garden Week and Veterans Day: first place, 52B1 Publication Flyers for NGW and Veterans Day (State);

Smokey Bear Poster Contest: first place, 5A Publication Relations – Smokey (District); first place, 5A Publication Relations – Smokey (State); and third place, 3M Publication Relations – Smokey (Deep South);

Smokey Bear Poster Contest Student Awards: second place, Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl Poster Contest, Huntland School fifth-grader Brylee Morehead (State); and third place, Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl Poster Contest, Huntland School third-grader Jonathan Perez (State).

Moorehead and Perez were honored on May 1 with certificates presented by the Franklin County Garden Club.  

Their posters were initially selected as local winners from among 255 entries submitted from five Franklin County schools.

Schools participating in addition to Huntland included: Clark Memorial Elementary, Decherd Elementary, North Lake Elementary and Broadview Elementary.

Four of the schools held assemblies where Smokey Bear made an appearance to congratulate students on their achievements and to spread the word about fire safety. 

“Jonathan’s and Brylee’s colorful posters were exemplary in depicting the themes ‘Only You Can Prevent Wildfires,’ and ‘Lend a Hand—Care for the Land,’” Club President Lola Eslick said. “The support of Mr. Gary Sanson, the Huntland School art teacher, and Ms. Cindy Stovall, assistant principal, was key to Huntland School doing so well in the contest and also in emphasizing the importance of understanding and taking care of the environment.”   

The contest was open to all children in first grade through fifth grade as well as scout troops, afterschool programs and others and has been conducted each year since 1961 as part of a partnership between the National Garden Clubs, Inc. and the U.S. Forest Service with an aim to help raise awareness and understanding of the natural environment and the need to protect and sustain it.

The Franklin County Garden Club will hold the local contest again in the fall when students will have a chance to submit their artwork and compete for the national grand prize – a free trip to Washington, DC, with roundtrip airfare and accommodations for four, attendance at a recognition ceremony and a $50 check.  For information, visit the U.S. Forest Service website at fs.usda.gov/learn/kids or email Eslick at eslickla@icloud.com.