| Every Wednesday 11:30 am-Noon |
Ramble with a Garden Pro – Join a garden expert every Wednesday at 11:30 am for a 30 minute walk around Grandmothers’ Garden to browse the beds and learn about the plantings. We want to share the wonders of the garden with visitors and will have a Master Gardener or Experienced Garden Volunteer to discuss plantings and answer questions. It’s free and open to the public, so please come and enjoy the garden |
| June 14 10am-2pm |
6th Annual Car Show in Chauncey Allen Park with WTA Motorsports Club The location has been moved to the WTA Parking Lot due to potential for wet grass.
$10 donation per show vehicle, spectators are free! Food, vendors, raffles, and awesome trophies made by our manufacturing department. Hope to see you there!
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Dear Friends of Grandmothers’ Garden,
The success of our 90th Anniversary Celebration last year energized another season of excitement at Grandmothers’ Garden. This spring, I’m honored to share with you the plans and activities approved by the Board of Directors for the 2025 Garden season.
National Volunteer Month
April is National Volunteer Month, a time to celebrate all of our excellent garden volunteers, committee and Board members, social media contributors, local educators, sponsors and donors. Each volunteer and supporter uniquely contribute to the beauty and longevity of the Garden, allowing its history and public spaces to be shared with our community, its families and its visitors. Currently, volunteers manage the following essential aspects of our welcoming public Garden:
• Garden Volunteers meet every Wednesday and Saturday morning from 9am-noon performing all seasonal work and renewal requirements in the Garden. Volunteers who prefer a more flexible schedule participate in our Adopt-A-Bed program which requires only weekly weeding and dead-heading.
• Garden Committee Members manage strategy, education, media outreach, governance and fundraising. These efforts provide the foundation for oversight and growth consistent with our Mission Statement to ensure long-term sustainability. Garden Committee Volunteers address present-day requirements and, wisely and thoughtfully, manage future challenges.
For ninety years, volunteers successfully have managed all responsibilities required to preserve and protect this historic space. As challenges and opportunities increase, each year the Garden relies on the talents and energy of new volunteers and donors to expand our friendship circle in support of our mission and our future.
Please consider becoming a volunteer or a donor! You can reply directly to me, contact our Garden Manager (Carmel Steger, stegr5@comcast.net), or register on our interactive website.
The Pavilion at Grandmothers’ Garden
In June, construction will begin on a new, open-air pavilion adjacent to Smith Avenue and Grandmothers’ Garden. The pavilion will offer opportunities for educational programming and community enjoyment. We anticipate that it will function as a center for nature-based programs, including STEM instruction, art and photography classes, and community field trips. Additionally, the pavilion will allow scheduling of private classes, lectures, wellness events, picnics and social events.
Our partners in this initiative are Westfield Technical Academy, Westfield Public Schools, Westfield State University, the Naturalists Club of Western MA, the Massachusetts Audubon Society, the Amelia Park Children’s Museum and the Pioneer Valley STEM Network. We gratefully acknowledge the vision of the Westfield Community Preservation Committee for its thoughtful endorsement of this project, for funding its construction and for sharing our vision of education and recreation in a beautiful, natural setting.
The Friends of Grandmothers’ Garden, Inc. is committed to the preservation and maintenance of Grandmothers’ Garden and Chauncey Allen Park and to providing enjoyment and educational opportunity to the community.
The Arboretum at Grandmothers’ Garden
This fall, Friends of Grandmothers’ Garden will begin creating a public Arboretum that will enhance the experience of students, families and visitors in an open and unique outdoor setting. Chauncey Allen Park, a 10-acre historic property, will invite a journey of discovery, showcasing diverse native and ornamental trees, greenery, marshland and a pond. The journey will educate and enlighten visitors about how parks and wetlands can be properly managed to become invaluable public assets that sustain both the community and the environment.
The Arboretum will support community nature walks, lectures, field trips, workshops and wellness events. It will be sited in a beautiful, natural setting with handicapped accessible pathways, informational signage and observation areas. We anticipate that the community will use the Arboretum to enjoy social and special events such as small gatherings, picnics and self-guided tours.
There is widespread community support for programs and activities at the Pavilion and Arboretum.
Please consider becoming a Pavilion and Arboretum volunteer! You can reply to me directly or register on our interactive website.
On behalf of the Friends of Grandmothers’ Garden Board of Directors, I thank you, deeply, for your generous and long-standing support of our Mission. We know that, together, we will continue to manage the Garden and Park to promote creative learning and discovery, to honor personal renewal and tranquility and to preserve the singular beauty of our natural world.
Thank you,
Allen Steiger
allensteiger@yahoo.com
Sara Gillett Services for the Elderly, Inc.
Shurtleff Children’s Services, Inc.
Air Compressor Eng. Co. Inc.
Anne Wellington Landscapes
Bates Fullam Insurance
Cooley & Company Att: Cooley Buy
Countryside Woodcraft
Coward’s Farm
Elm Electrical, Inc.
Jerone’s Party Plus
Kara Upperton
Morin & O’Shea, P.C.
O’Brien Nurserymen LLC
Park Square Realty
Pat’s Greenhouse
Toomey Associates, Inc
Western Hampden Historial Society
Westfield Athenaeum
Westfield Spirit Shop
Windy Hill Farm
| Seeds of Inspiration in the Garden and at the WTA Annual Plant Sale. Look for Grandmothers’ Garden Information Table at the Plant Sale on Greylock St to obtain a voucher for a free packet of seeds. Bring the voucher Grandmothers’ Garden on May 7 where our garden volunteers will greet you. |
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| 5th Annual Car Show in Chauncey Allen Park with WTA Motorsports Club Enjoy Grandmothers’ Garden while you’re at the car show and look for our Information Table to learn about ways Grandmother’s Garden supports the community. (Rain date June 1) |
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| The Sex Lives of Wildflowers with The Naturalists’ Club Join naturalists Tom & Nancy Condon to explore the intricate lives of plants as they attract pollinators and other animals to ensure reproduction. Meet in Grandmothers’ Garden for a guided nature walk through the garden and Chauncey Allen Park. |
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9am-12:15pm |
Yoga Day in the Garden (Rain date June 22) 10:15-11:00 – Yoga Dance: Let your spirit bloom with Renee Rix 11:15-12:15 – Sound Bath: Restful Relaxation with Jolie Therrien |
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Wetland Critters – A Program for Kids with The Naturalists’ Club |
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An Old-Fashioned Garden – The story of Grandmothers’ Garden & Chauncey Allen Park Please join us to learn the “truly American story” of how an immigrant family came to Westfield, worked in the woolen mills of Huntington and, through determination and courage, founded a chain of department stores that flourished for decades in Western Massachusetts. The Steiger family’s energy and generosity fired the creativity of community volunteers and donors who, together, transformed the 10-acre parcel of land into a public park and an award-winning colonial revival garden. Ms. Wellington will share the story of her friendship with Grandmothers’ Garden & Chauncey Allen Park and how her research and writing inspired the formation of Friends of Grandmothers’ Garden, the not-for-profit organization that nurtures and safeguards the property today. Historical presentations are very popular and well attended, with seating limited to 100 people. Pre-Registration is strongly recommended at: www.westath.org with their Event Calendar. Westfield Athenaeum Events – LibCal – Westfield Athenaeum |
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90th Anniversary Celebration |
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| Preparing for Winter Plants & Animals with The Naturalists’ Club Meet in Grandmothers’ Garden for a guided nature walk through Chauncey Allen Park, led by Tom & Nancy Condon. Learn about seasonal changes on plants & animals and how climate change can impact local environments. |
Please honor the volunteers and donors who have maintained and supported Grandmothers’ Garden since it opened in 1934 by making a contribution this year.
Please use the link below to donate by PayPal or Credit Card, or make your check payable to Friends of Grandmothers’ Garden, Inc. and mail it to:
Friends of Grandmothers’ Garden, Inc.
P.O. Box 1432
Westfield, MA 01086
