Desert Messenger

10 www.DesertMessenger.com September 20, 2023 Gardening with Dennis Stay up to date with Town Hall Town of Quartzsite now offers text notifi cations on your phone through TextMyGov. iWorQ is excited to an- nounce a strategic partnership with @TextMyGov to expand citizen en- gagement with text messaging To opt in, text the word "QUARTZSITE" to 91896. What to expect: After the initial keyword is sent, you'll receive a confi rmation message asking you to reply "YES" to verify opt-in. There will be 0-4 text messages per month with a notifi cation from the Town regarding the categories you are opted-in for. Message and data rates may apply. Check with your mo- bile phone carrieer for more details. How to Opt-Out: Text "STOP" at any time to remove yourself from the notifi cation list. Also are you looking for an- swers? Need to report an issue? Now you can Text the Town of Quartzsite directly. Introducing the new way to skip a phone call and use your mobile phone's text messaging to fi nd answers to your questions. Text "hi" or one the words listed be- low, to 928-260-4442. "Trees, Sewer, Contact, Street, Wa- ter, Pothole, Weeds, Departments, FAQ." TextMyGov will help you to quick- ly fi nd the answers your looking for or help you to report an issue to the Town. QUARTZSITE GARDEN CLUB By Alex Taft PART 1 In my seemingly end- less struggle with clutter, I found a notebook that belonged to Dennis that I assumed was another Mas- ter Gardening Book. Instead, it was an accumulation of La Paz Master Gardener News publications from 2000 to 2012. In it were very short articles by Dennis, entitled "Gar- dening in La Paz" and numerous ac- counts of various Quartzsite Garden Club achievements and highlights. In the same struggle with clutter, I found an old "Q Beat" magazine from November 1999 that had a full- page article and picture of the garden club and its activities. These reminders made me decide to write about the garden club. The Quartzsite Garden Club was just that, not a 501 (c) 3 or corpo- ration, just a group of dedicated people who wanted to help others with their gardens and beautify the town. Despite the many changes in membership and the informal structure of the club, they were a powerhouse. The number of major projects they took on and complet- ed was impressive. Perhaps because four of the members were also very involved with the museum in the late 90's, there was a lot of overlap between the museum members and garden club members. Kay Mooring, Marilyn McFate, Lynn Stimson, Dennis Wilskey were all active members of both organizations. There were so many people who dedicated so much time and energy to beautifying the town and they got a lot done. Because this is the last year of the print edition of the Desert Messenger, it seems timely and necessary to celebrate this awesome group of people who achieved so much. First, they worked closely with the La Paz County Extension Of- fi ce and its instructional special- ist, Lyle Browning attended most Garden Club meetings and was an active supporter of their activities and projects. Lyle was a good com- municator who offered assistance and expertise for most of the gar- den club projects. One of the big- gest garden club achievements was the Freedom Garden and the land- scape surrounding the planes at the Quartzsite Town Park. They in- stalled an irrigation system, moved a lot of dirt, planted trees, planted myoporum ground cover, and built a fountain. With the addition of grass by the town in 2012, this area became a welcome relief from summer heat and the crossroads for the walking trails around town hall. Before the garden club went to work, there were the planes and what Lyle called, "Ugly dirt". This project spanned four winter sea- sons but the result was wonderful. The garden club assisted in almost all of the landscaping efforts that the town developed. The median as you drive into the town campus was landscaped and planted by them. They have a space in Celia's Gardens. Every year they assisted with Arbor Day activities, particu- larly at the Quartzsite Elementary School. Fundraisers and member- ship dues paid for all their projects. They helped out in other communi- ties too. In November of 1999 they were in Western Park in Parker for Landscape and Garden Day. Five members were at the event. Eleanor Schooley discussed citrus and tree planting, Shirley Phillips discussed cactus, Dale Schooley discussed winter vegetable gardening, Dennis discussed composting soils and fer- tilizers and Marilyn McFate assist- ed with registration and answered general gardening questions. One year, the garden club decided to create fl ower barrels for business- es. They distributed to barrels all over town. The result was a sense of community. One more recent event was a cactus sale that was organized to help fund the cemetery event, "A Walk through the Past', orga- nized by the late Dinice Ross. The cactus sale was a huge success and also helped to promote awareness and appreciation of the local des- ert landscape and how to care for it. It is another example of how the museum membership and the gar- den club overlapped. The outreach of the garden club was widespread and encompasses more that can be discussed in a single article and of course, Dennis and many others were at the heart of it all. Note: for those who did not know Dennis, he was a part-time employ- ee of the town parks department, a Master Gardener since 1985 and instructor for the Master Gardener Class. He passed away in 2018. DEADLINE : WED. OCT 1 1 TH for Oct 18 th edition Desert Messenger News Email: editor@DesertMessenger.com 928-916-4235 www.DesertMessenger.com keep QUARTZSITE quirky © QuirkyQuartzsite.com

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