When my husband and I moved from Anchorage to Homer for retirement eight years ago, I joined the Homer Garden Club as a way to learn new things about growing gardens in Homer’s somewhat milder climate and to meet new people.  

We’d been coming to Homer for more than 30 years, but decided that although we felt we knew Homer well, we didn’t necessarily know Homerites. The garden club was a great place for me to meet those who shared my interests.  The Gear Shed and the harbor were his.

Having worked with Homer gardeners during this 8-year period and having  either co-chaired (first with Lorna Olson and then Brenda Adams) or chaired six Gardeners’ Weekends, I can’t begin to describe what those experiences  have meant to me. I’ve loved it and am so grateful to those who have volunteered over the years to be a part of that event. Thank you, Homer News, for doing such a beautiful job of covering it. 

Something else I’ve noticed in recent years deserves comment. Storekeepers in Homer, whether along Pioneer, Lake Street, the Spit or almost anywhere you look, have been beautifying their workplaces with gardens. After our sometimes frigid winters with their diminishing light and after having lived months in a mostly white world, the gardens these folks have toiled to create in the spring and summer are incredibly uplifting. So, thank you, Homer businesses, for recognizing the value of gardens in your places of work.  

We really do appreciate your efforts … keep it up … you’re doing great.

Thank you, again, to those whose efforts have made the Homer Garden Club’s Gardeners’ Weekend so successful and thank you, Homer, for coming to our party.

Roni Overway 

Co-Chair