Jon Carloftis

The East Row Garden Club of Newport will host native Kentuckian Jon Carloftis, a nationally acclaimed garden designer and author, who will lecture, do a demonstration and present his new book, Beautiful Gardens of Kentucky, during two events on Saturday, June 26, at the Carnegie Event Center, Newport.

The events:

• 10 a.m. “A Morning with Jon Carloftis: For the Love of Containers,” a demonstration followed with a book signing.

• 2 p.m. “An Afternoon with Jon Carloftis: The Beautiful Gardens of Kentucky,” a lecture followed with a book signing.

Ticket Information: Tickets: $20 for demonstration and $20 for lecture. They will be sold THIS Saturday, (June 26), at Carnegie Event Center, 401 Monmouth St., Newport. NOTE: CASH OR CHECK ONLY ON SATURDAY. CREDIT CARDS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED AT THE DOOR. Advanced tickets (discounts available ONLINE ONLY with purchase of Garden Walk ticket for $15) may also be purchased BELOW or at Kentucky Haus, 411 E. 10^th St. (859) 261-4287, www.kentuckyhaus.com THROUGH FRIDAY.

DIRECTIONS TO CARNEGIE:
http://www.celebrationsbydavid.com/directions.html

PARKING: Free parking for the Carloftis events is available on the street between Saratoga, Monmouth and York Streets. Parking in the lot across from the Carnegie is $3. Visitors may also park free at Watertower Square parking lot, Sixth and Washington, where Garden Walk tickets are sold.

Carloftis’ appearance is in conjunction with the East Row Garden Club’s 14^th annual Garden Walk, which features nine small urban gardens open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, June 26 and 27, in the East Row Historic District, the second largest historic district in Kentucky. Carloftis, who is familiar with the Northern Kentucky area, is a specialist in rooftop and small gardens — and equally passionate about historic homes — so collaboration with the garden club was natural. As a speaker, Carloftis charms audiences with his elegant down-home manners, soft Kentucky accent and good humor. During his presentations, he shares common sense solutions to some of the most common garden problems.

A portion of the proceeds from the Carloftis presentations and the Garden Walk will go to Brighton Center www.brightoncenter.org, which in 2009 served over 66,000 individuals and families through 41 different programs in Northern Kentucky.

Carloftis, who grew up on the banks of the Rockcastle River in Livingston near Lexington and is a graduate of the University of Kentucky, launched his career by designing rooftop and small gardens in New York City. Among his clients are Julianne Moore, Edward H. Norton, Mike Myers and the Estee Lauder family. Carloftis regularly contributes to or is featured in such publications as Better Homes & Gardens, Country Living and Martha Stewart Living. He’s appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America, HGTV and Martha Stewart. In 2004 and 2005, he served as a member of HGTV’s Trend Advisory Board designed to direct the home and garden network’s future programming.

For the past five years, he’s worked on Beautiful Gardens of Kentucky (Canal House Publishing, $50). The 336-page book features 21 Kentucky gardens, five of which Carloftis designed. Want a sneak peek at his book? http://www.joncarloftis.com/books/BGOK-SAMPLE.swf He’s written additional books including First a Garden (Rockcastle River Trading Co., 2005) and Beyond the Windowsill (Cool Springs Press, 2007).

In 2005, he partnered with Alice Waters (owner of Chez Panisse) to recreate on the mall in Washington, D.C., the same Edible Schoolyard — a one-acre garden at the Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in Berkeley, CA. The installation was part of their collaborative efforts to improve the eating habits of schoolchildren and promote sustainable agriculture.

Please check out the latest Southern Living magazine, which features Jon Carloftis and his home in Lexington.
http://www.southernliving.com/home-garden/gardens/backyard-landscape-00417000067677/

When the well-respected Garden Design magazine touted in its May 1999 issue that “Rhode Island isn’t the only state where a town called Newport has become synonymous with great gardens,” members of the East Row Garden Club in Newport, Kentucky, weren’t surprised. They take pride in their charming gardens and were thrilled that the writer of Miss Green’s Datebook, the Garden Design column, thought so, too.”

It’s been a decade since Garden Design gave the East Row Garden Club a green thumbs-up for its “great” gardens, and the club’s East Row Garden Walk is still one of the most popular garden tours in the Greater Cincinnati area.

This year, the East Row Garden Club’s 14th Annual Garden Walk for the public is THIS WEEKEND — Saturday and Sunday, June 26 and June 27, 2010. The Walk, which will showcase nine captivating gardens, runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day in the East Row Historic District, the second largest local historic district in Kentucky.

The gardens, most of which are nestled in back yards of historic Queen Anne and Italianate homes, are hidden from public view by century-old brick walls, ornate iron fences and other structures. They were chosen for their distinctive creativity, design and use of plant materials. Of the nine gardens, eight have never been open to the public.

Among the highlights:

• Last year’s first “Garden in Progress,” a young garden undergoing continuing developments and improvements, is back in 2010 with new shutters, wrought iron railing, much more plant growth and lots of new summer bulbs.

• Salvaged, vintage architectural items, including hundreds of antique bricks constructed into two imaginative walls, help form the structure of this garden, which also features an elliptical-shaped patio with curved sidewalks built with antique pavers from Over-the-Rhine streets.

• A funky, eclectic garden, which features wrought iron and copper window boxes, a New Orleans style porch and a back patio with an operating fireplace, incorporates folk art throughout the space.

• A spacious English cottage-style garden showcases a formal, restful space in the front yard while the back is a “riot” of colorful hydrangeas and clematis set amidst comfortable, stylish seating and two dining areas

• Celebrating the homeowners’ passion for the Cincinnati Reds, this nostalgic, spirited courtyard garden, aptly called “A Field of Dreams,” combines colorful original murals by Curtis L. Heuser, a Newport decorative artist, with “live” special effects to create an interactive gardening experience that recalls the 1975 World Series.

• What was once a “yard” with swing sets, kiddie pools and a basketball hoop has been totally transformed — because the kids grew up and moved out of the house — into a calm Japanese influenced garden that features an arbor, a small fountain and “shady little nooks” created with green and purple textured and weeping trees, shrubs and perennials.

• Nearly every structure in and near this garden — including a utility pole in the front of the home— is covered with lush plants. Adding structure are a series of decks, an L-shaped bar and a 12-foot by 20-foot swimming pool.

Once you arrive at the ticket area — the Watertower Square parking lot, Sixth and Washington streets, Newport, (cattycorner from Pompilio’s Restaurant), you will receive a ticket with a map of the neighborhood and a handout listing the homeowners’ 10 favorite plants, which are marked with stakes in each garden. (The handout has become a favorite tradition of the tour; fans actually follow the numbers on the stakes and mark their favorite plants in each garden!!)

Vendors including Greenfield Plant Farm, Greg’s Antiques, and The Antiques Warehouse will offer plants and garden-related decorative art, antiques and accessories for sale. Among the other vendors are Ivanka Audrey Crafts, beadwork and jewelry.

If you have questions while touring the gardens, volunteers and homeowners will be available to answer them.

One relaxation area with a restroom and complimentary refreshments is planned along the tour route at a beautifully mature garden nestled on the side of an 1884 Italianate home.

This year, a portion of the proceeds from the Garden Walk will go to Brighton Center, which in 2009 served over 66,000 individuals and families through 41 different programs in Northern Kentucky. www.brightoncenter.org A portion also goes toward beautification projects for the neighborhood and the City of Newport. Last year, the club donated $1,500 to the Henry Hosea House, a non-profit cooperative ecumenical agency that operates ECHO Soup Kitchen for the poor and homeless in Northern Kentucky.

The Golden Trowel Sponsor is Multi-Craft, a printing company in Newport that graciously provided all printed materials.

TICKET INFORMATION:

East Row Garden Walk —$15 per person and sold both days at the Watertower Square parking lot, Sixth and Washington streets, Newport.  Children age 12 and under will be admitted free of charge if accompanied by an adult.  Tickets will be sold until 3 p.m. each day, and the tour will continue until 4 p.m. NOTE: ONLY CASH AND CHECKS TAKEN ON THE DAYS OF THE TOUR. NO CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED.

Advanced tickets (including tickets for the two Jon Carloftis events on Saturday) are available BELOW or at Kentucky Haus, 411 E. 10^th St., Newport. www.kentuckyhaus.com (859) 261-4287 THROUGH FRIDAY. (Discounts available for multiple events ONLINE ONLY through Friday.)

PARKING: Free parking is available for Garden Walk visitors at Watertower Square parking lot, Sixth and Washington, where tickets will be sold. For directions, click on Driving Directions on the left column.

Directions to East Row Garden Walk:

From Ohio: Take I-71 South to I-471 South. From Kentucky: Take I-275 East to I-471 North. The remaining directions are the same for both Ohio and Kentucky visitors.

• Exit at Kentucky Route 8—the Newport/Bellevue exit.
• Turn left at the stoplight on Kentucky Route 8 West and proceed around the bend.
• Turn left on Washington Street (Newport on the Levee will be directly in front). Continue on Washington to Fifth Street where you’ll see signs for the Garden Walk.
• Parking is available at the Watertower Square parking lot, located at Sixth and Washington streets. Parking is available on the street, too.

The East Row Garden Club, which was founded in 1996, is a non-profit, nonpolitical organization for residents of Newport that promotes gardening through education and volunteer support. The East Row Garden Club educates members about gardening, provides a social atmosphere and sponsors projects that beautify the East Row Historic District and the City of Newport.

The East Row Garden Club meets every third Tuesday of the month at The Sanctuary, Sixth and Monroe streets, in Newport. A social time (that includes a light meal) begins at 6:30 p.m. followed at 7 p.m. with a speaker and business meeting. New members from throughout Newport are welcome, from those who have no gardening experience to master gardeners. Members must be 18 or over. Annual membership is $40 per household.

As a member of the Garden Club, you’ll socialize with your neighbors, listen to wonderful speakers from throughout Greater Cincinnati, learn great tips for creating and maintaining your garden, and help enhance the appearance of our Newport neighborhoods.

Membership is open to anyone in Newport. If you’d like to join, please e-mail Monica Gardner, treasurer, at monica.gardner@fuse.net.

Each year, the East Row Garden Club, which was founded in 1996, donates a portion of proceeds from the East Row Garden Walk, its annual fund-raising event, to local charities and neighborhood garden projects sponsored by the club.

In years past, a portion of the earnings was donated to the Boys & Girls Club of Newport, Healthy Steps, School-based Treatment Education Prevention for Students, a health clinic for Newport public school students, and the Kids BackPack Program, a program that provides free meals to low-income Newport students on weekends and holidays.

This year – 2010 – a donation will be made to Brighton Center, Inc., Newport, (www.brightoncenter.org) which provides programs for individuals and families throughout Northern Kentucky including employment training, youth services, and community, family and child development.

In 2009, the club donated $1,500 to the Henry Hosea House, a non-profit cooperative ecumenical agency that operates ECHO Soup Kitchen for the poor and homeless in Northern Kentucky.

September 2007

East Row Garden Club Continues its Tradition of Giving to Local
Charities

By Bruce Murray

(Photo by Bruce Murray)

At its regular September (2007) meeting, the ERGC donated a check for $1,135.00 to the Kids BackPack Program, a program that provides free meals to low-income Newport students on weekends and holidays. It is co-sponsored by the Freestore Foodbank and Newport Independent Schools.

During the meeting, the ERGC hosted Doug Alpiger, principal of Fourth Street Elementary School, and the Family Resource and Youth Services Center coordinators from each of Newport’s three elementary schools. The coordinators at Fourth Street Elementary, A.D. Owens Elementary, Mildred Dean Elementary and Newport Middle School facilitate the BackPack program. The funds will be used to assist in providing weekend meals to approximately 100 students who have been identified as being chronically hungry.”

The BackPack program started as a pilot program at Fourth Street Elementary in 2006-2007 with funding through the Freestore Foodbank. An anonymous donation to the Freestore Foodbank, along with several donations from organizations like the East Row Garden Club, made it possible to expand the program to all three elementary schools and the middle school.

Molly Wesley-Chevalier, from left, a Fourth Street School Family Resource Center coordinator, Kelly Lane and Julie Smith-Morrow, who work at the Freestore Foodbank, pose with Linda Zacharias and Pam Phillips, both coordinators with the Family Resource Center.

September 2003

Healthy Steps Receives Donation from East Row Garden Club

The East Row Garden Club of Newport donated a check for $1,825 to Healthy Steps, School-based Treatment Education Prevention for Students, a health clinic for Newport public school students.

The Newport School-Based Health Centers staff cares for at-risk children who have physical and mental health problems that may otherwise be overlooked. The mission of Healthy Steps is to keep children in school while increasing their overall health, assisting each to become fully participating and productive members of society.

(Photo by Bruce Murray)

Rene McPhedran, president of the East Row Garden Club, presents a check to a representative of Healthy Steps, a prevention program for students in Newport public schools.

ARTICLE I: Name, Mission Statement, Vision

Section 1. Name

The Corporation’s name shall be East Row Garden Club, Inc., hereinafter referred to as the “Corporation”.

Section 2. Mission Statement

The Corporation is dedicated to the enhancement and promotion of gardening in the City of Newport, KY through education and volunteer support.

Section 3. Vision

To recognize and acknowledge special beautification projects pertaining to gardening within the City of Newport, KY. To work with other organizations in the City to maintain and preserve gardening. To support charitable needs by mean of the mission statement. To broaden the gardening knowledge of all Members through education by means of outside speakers and internal expertise.

ARTICLE II: Membership

Section 1. Membership

Membership is open to all residents in the City of Newport, KY who are at least eighteen years of age. The Corporation will determine membership dues each January. Dues are charged per household and are submitted annually. A “Member” is defined as a person who is at least eighteen years of age residing in a dues-paying household.

Section 2. Record of Members

The Corporate Secretary/Treasurer shall maintain a roster of current Members who are entitled to vote.

Section 3. Voting

Each Member of the Corporation is eligible to vote.

ARTICLE III: Meeting of Members

Section 1. Meetings

The monthly meetings of the Members shall be held on the third Tuesday of each month at a designated time and place. All meetings shall be preceded with notice of time and place to all Members.

Section 2. Special Meetings

Special meetings of the Members may be called by the President and one Officer or upon request of one-fifth (1/5) of the Members giving five days notice to all Members.

Section 3. Quorum

A quorum for the transaction of business of the Members shall be constituted by those present at a regular or special meeting subsequent to notification of agenda items.

Section 4. Organization

The President shall preside at all meetings of the Members. If the President is not present, then the appropriate officer in succession in the order set forth in Article IV shall preside. Parliamentary procedure questions or concerns shall be determined by references to the most current edition of “Robert’s Rules of Order”.

ARTICLE IV: Officers

Section 1. Number

The officers of the Corporation shall consist of President, Vice Program Chair, and Secretary/Treasurer.

Section 2. Election, Term and Vacancies

Nominations will be held at the October monthly meeting and voted on at the November monthly meeting by the Members present. The officers will be elected to a term of one year taking office at the January meeting. Any vacancy will be filled at the next regular meeting by election.

Section 3: Duties of Officers

The President shall preside at all meetings, appoint all committees, prepare agendas with prior notification to Members, represent the Corporation on issues as directed by the Members, and perform other duties as required.

The Vice Program Chair shall preside over meetings in the absence of the President, organize meeting speakers, serve on committees, and perform other duties as required.

The Secretary/Treasurer shall maintain a membership roster, have charge of the funds of the Corporation, be responsible of proper record keeping of all revenues and expenses, present regular financial reports and perform other duties as required.

ARTICLE V: Finance

Section 1. Fund Raising

The Corporation will sponsor and conduct fund raising events for the purpose of promoting the community and achieving the goals and duties of the Corporation.

Section 2. Expenditures

Any expenditure over $200 must be voted on and approved by two thirds of the members present. All expenses must be for activities previously approved by the Corporation.

ARTICLE VI: Committees

Section 1. Committees

Committees shall be formed as needed by the direction of the President and Members. The membership of the committees shall include volunteers endorsed by the Membership. The members of the committee shall appoint a chairperson. The committee shall report developments at meetings of the Members.

ARTICLE VII: Amendment of By-Laws

Section 1: Proposal and Vote of Amendment

The proposed amendment must be presented to the Members for review and consideration at any regular meeting. The vote on the proposed amendment shall take place at the next regular meeting. Any change shall be approved by at least two-thirds vote of the Members present.

Contact the East Row Garden Club

Contact: Elizabeth Shely, president
Email: kyeagl@fuse.net

Mary Beth Crocker, publicity
Email: gardenproducer@fuse.net

The East Row Garden Club, which was founded in 1996, is a non-profit, nonpolitical organization for residents of Newport that promotes gardening through education and volunteer support. The East Row Garden Club educates members about gardening, provides a social atmosphere and sponsors projects that beautify the East Row Historic District and the City of Newport.

Each year, on the fourth weekend in June, the club sponsors the annual East Row Garden Walk in the East Row Historic District, the second largest historic district in Kentucky. When the homes were built — from 1860s to 1930s — land in the heavily populated, urban community was at a premium (in terms of both space and price), and the Queen Anne, Italianate and other architecturally significant homes were built long, narrow and tall. Likewise, most gardens are narrow and small. Of course, the charming front yards are easily viewed, but nestled on the sides and in the back of the historic homes are gardens hidden from public view by century-old brick walls, ornate iron fences and other structures.

A portion of proceeds from the walks — and through ongoing efforts of many volunteers — have allowed the club to make financial donations to several charitable organizations in Newport, complete a formal garden at Third and Park Avenue and assist with community-wide beautification efforts including new gardens at Fourth Street School.