COUNTY LIFE
Restoring the bloom to the Greer House, gardens
This beautiful iris popped up this spring in the Greer garden. The house is in the backdrop. (Courtesy photo)
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
For those who love gardening there is nothing better than sharing bulbs, cuttings or seeds with a friend. Seeing them bloom and color someone else’s world is a special feeling.
A local couple hopes to revitalize what for years was a local tradition, the Bowie Iris Garden Bulb Sale, at the home of the late Bobbie Inez Greer and her husband Arthur “Bot” Greer. Their gardens located around their home at 1111 Belcherville were a showcase of color each spring as irises of all varieties bloomed.
Inez tended the gardens with loving care shipping them all across the country and local folks also came to the sale searching for a new color for their gardens. Her iris gardens became her passion, but she also cultivated roses and lilies.
Courtney and TJay McEwen purchased the Greer house in January with plans to restore it, but they have become somewhat enamoured with the Greer’s history and place in the community. It led them to plan an Iris Garden Bulb Sale from noon to 7 p.m. on Aug. 3 at the garden.
When they bought the property, family members and people in the community began telling them stories about the couple. Courtney said the sale, which was known far and wide, is a way to honor Mrs. Greer’s memory and all she cultivated through the years.
Walking through the gardens which were grown up after years of neglect, one can see the small silver markers noting the variety. Many of the irises have grown together and have not bloomed, while others popped up this past spring and summer.
“They need to be thinned and separated, so they bloom. The ones we were able to identify when they came out have a photo and their name on the bag, but others are just a grab bag of miscellaneous. The first one that came up was Coffee Royale, which was maroon, eggplant and a light purple. I have never seen irises like this,” explained Courtney.
Read the full feature in the mid-week News.
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
While Bowie High School seniors are preparing for their graduation, six of those seniors have already made some huge steps toward their future.
Two seniors graduated from North Central Texas College last weekend with their associate degrees, and one earned a level one certification in welding. Two other seniors completed their veterinary assistant certification.
Ryan Rainwater and Jordan Vaught earned their association degrees from North Central Texas College as they await Bowie High graduation next week. Brody Fesmire earned his NCTC Level 1 welding certification and is the first BHS student to complete the two-year program.
Read the full story of these hard-working students in the weekend Bowie News.
The cast and crew of Gold-Burg High School’s one-act play, “Interview,” heads to Austin Sunday to compete in the state University Interscholastic League contest.
There will be a send-off for the group around 10 a.m. Sunday. The state performances will be at the Austin Independent School District Performing Arts Center, 1500 Barbara Jordan Ave in Austin. Session I will start at 3 p.m. and session II at 6:30 p.m.
Fitzner said they will perform as the third play in session II, possibly around 8 p.m. Awards will be at 10 p.m. after the last session.
Tickets are available only online. Visit the UIL website at: uiltexas.org/theatre/state. There are individual play or four-play session tickets available.
This is the school’s first time to send a play to state competition. Gold-Burg advances with eight 1A plays: Benjamin, “The Ballad of Maria Martin;” Highland, “The Girl in the White Pinafore;” Avery, “The Voice of the Prairie;” Ackerly:Sands, “They Promised Her the Moon;” Guthrie, “The Beggar’s Opera;” Abbott, “A Monster Calls;” and Oakwood, “Mockingbird.”
Directors are Linda Fitzner, Pam DeMoss and David Winingham. Cast and alternates are Jimena Garcia, Corbin Gilbert, Arin Turner, Marshall Mason, Madison Provost, Levin Hellinger, Izzi Rohde, Barrett Allen and alternates Camdyn Dreyer, Jasmine Rojas, Kaylie Duncan and Brayden Odom.
Crew members are Joseph Jones, Aidan Foster, Lexie Eaton, Alyson Rojas and Eli Freeland.
Affirming Texas Families Services presents “Hats, Bags & Bingo Night” on June 1.
Tickets are $45 per person and a light meal is included with the ticket. The fundraising event will be at 300 W. Nelson at United Presbyterian Church. Doors open at 5 p.m.
Call 855-239-2837 or visit the Affirming Texas Families Facebook page.
Affirming Texas Families (Services) provides licensed counseling free of charge to victims of crime and their non-offending family members in Montague, Jack, Young and Clay Counties.
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