The Miraflores Garden Club began April, 1965. Mrs. Maxine Coe started the club with several of her friends and neighbors who were struggling with gardening in the sand. The club took its name from a Spanish word meaning “Behold the Flowers.” The club meets in members’ homes on the fourth Thursday of each month from September through May. Membership is limited to 30 active members and 20 sustaining members. Sustaining members have served as an active member for five years, pay the same amount of dues and attend at least one meeting per year; but they may not hold office or vote. The programs for 2006- 2007 are Landscaping Design by Garden Gate, Open House at Celebrations, Project Greenshores at the bay bridge, City Plans with Buz Eddy, Dune and Oyster Reef Restoration and PJC Demonstration Gardens at Milton Campus.

The purpose of this organization is to promote interest in good gardening practice; the study of horticulture and the artistic use of plant materials; to help save this beautiful area for man, bird and beast so that all may live in harmony with nature. The club theme is beautification and the club flower is the Hyacinth.

The club met on December 14 at the home of Suzie Gilchrist for their annual Christmas luncheon. The newly revived Gilchrist home was decorated beautifully for the sea-

Betty Archer Allen/Gulf Breeze News From left, The club officers for this year are Tracy Mulroy, President; Anne Edwards, Vice President; Judy Chapman, Parliamentarian/Sunshine Chairman and Marguerite Burr, Treasurer. Committee Chairwomen are Terri Jesmonth, Gifts and Name Tags; Phyllis Boys, Membership; Kathy Kuehl and Tracy Mulroy, Directory; Gifts and Name Tag, Martha Dupuis, Telephone; Mary Adams, Historian; Suzie Gilchrist, City Beautification; Anne Edwards, Programs; and Lulu Campbell, Meeting Locations and Hostesses.

son. Each member brought a covered dish to fill the table with delicious food. Presents were distributed to members and extra presents were brought by each member to donate to needy children.

The Miraflores were very active in the Federation in the early years. From 1966 to 1982 the club sent delegates to the State Convention; donated ditty bags for armed forces in Vietnam; made donations to many projects on-going in Gulf Breeze; sponsored programs at the Garden Center; sold and planted 200 Redbud trees in the Gulf Breeze area; gave support to Gulf Breeze High School Athletic Program and High School Park Complex and donated to the Zoological Society and the Gulf Breeze Library. The club became a sponsor for Boy Scout Troop 415 and provided Christmas gifts for needy children, the Vietnamese children and the men at the Alcoholic Rehabilitation Center.

The Miraflores Garden Club withdrew from the Pensacola Federation of Garden Clubs in 1982. As an independent club, they have continued their work for the community of Gulf Breeze and its surrounding areas with the same level of productivity and even added other projects. In 1987 they updated and republished their book Gardening in the Sand. The club has continued to have very educational and enlightening programs on gardening; taking field trips and some much needed socializing. They added the Gulf Breeze Baptist Hospital Auxiliary and landscaping around the Chamber of Commerce sign to their many activities. They like most people in the area had to regroup following the disaster left by Ivan. They have not totally solved the problem of gardening in the sand but the have made progress.

The Optimist Youth

Gulf Breeze Middle School Junior Optimist Club and the High School’s Octagon Club members are working very hard to make Christmas special to a lot of people. The Junior Optimist serenaded visitors to the Optimist Club Christmas Tree lot with an afternoon of enthusiastic carols on Saturday, December 9 from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.

The high school’s Octagon Club fashioned wreaths from tree branches to raise funds for the Gulf Breeze High School Junior Optimist Club. Donations to the Middle School Optimist Club will benefit the Science Olympiad. For more information, contact Mary Ann Napoleone at 932-2306.

Santa Rosa Shores Woman’s Club/Homeowners Association

On December 12 Santa Rosa Shores Women’s Club and Home Homeowners Association (SRSHA) sponsored a great event for the community entitled “Santa Claus in Swenson Park” A large crowd of young and old Santa Rosians gathered at Swenson Park to greet Santa. Coast Community Church provided games for the children who were waiting for the big visitor.

Santa Claus arrived with his surprises and treats on a special sleigh behind the Midway Fire Department truck at 6:30 p.m. Members from the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Department showed up to meet Santa as well. Hot beverages and cookies cheered the crowd while Santa gave gifts and took requests for Christmas. The line was long and Santa was exhausted before the last child made a request. The Santa Rosa Shores Homeowners Association meets monthly at the Midway Fire Department on College Blvd. and quarterly at the Community Life Center.

The development of the Swenson Park located in Santa Rosa Shores is one of the projects the Woman’s Club and SRSHA have worked on together to make a reality. Don Richards, President of SRSHA says, “Margaret Cunningham has worked very hard to make this dream of Swenson Park come true.”