Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
The local chapter of Alpha Delta Kappa sorority recently planted flowers in the "Forget Me Not" flower garden at Longyear Park adjacent to the band shell, seen here Wednesday. The flowers were planted to honor the memory of people with Alzheimer's Disease.
By TOM LAVENTURE
Ironwood - A ceremony to mark the transition of maintaining the garden box at Longyear Park will take place just prior to the Gogebic Range Concert Band concert at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
The "Forget Me Not" flower garden is to honor the memory of people with Alzheimer's Disease. The garden is adjacent to the Mathias Holemo Band Shell in Longyear Park, 299 W. Arch St., in Ironwood.
The garden had been cared for by staff and volunteers of Regional Hospice Services for several years. Starting this year the local chapter of Alpha Delta Kappa (ADK), an international sorority of teachers, is taking over responsibility.
"You ought to see them plant," said Gina Kretzchmar, a retired special education teacher who is a member of the local ADK chapter. She also plays bass clarinet for the Gogebic Range Concert Band, and sings "God Bless America" for the performances.
The garden ceremony will start roughly at 6:30 p.m., with the Bale Sisters performing to help celebrate, Kretzchmar said. A representative of the Alzheimer's Association will be coming from the Greater Michigan Chapter, Upper Peninsula Office to participate and hand out information, she said.
Kretzchmar will speak briefly about the Gogebic Range Concert Band's concert donations for the garden, of individual donors and the ADK volunteers who planted it and maintain it, she said.
Clients from Highline Corporation residential home in Hurley will add watering the garden to the list of weekly gardening and cleanup projects, Kretzchmar said.
Marie Eggleston, director of the Gogebic Range Concert Band, said that donations go to a different charity for each concert. Past donations have gone to HOPE animal shelter, the food pantries and others.
The band ranges in members from 14 years old to 86 years old, she said. The band performs two concerts in June and again in August at the park shelter.
"There are no July concerts because we do three other events and festivals," Eggleston said.
The remaining park concerts will be held at 7 p.m. Aug. 13, and Aug. 27.
