Verona Garden Club has a new board; popular fundraiser canceled

A new Verona Garden Club has formed following a mass exodus of board members a few months ago.

The nonprofit beautification group installs and maintains hanging baskets throughout the borough as well as planting at the war memorial and other projects.

Recently appointed club president Daniel Showalter said its former members left in late October to concentrate more on their families and occupations.

“It has been highly successful, (and) they’ve done a lot in the community,” Showalter said about the club. “The previous board did an amazing job.”

Former board members declined interviews or to have their names published.

They issued a joint statement about their departure:

“New professional and personal obligations arose for the remaining members of the board that made this an ideal time to transition to the next generation of leadership for the Garden Club. We wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors.”

One casualty of the transition to the new board is the cancellation of a popular fundraiser, Botany & Booze.

The celebration of vegetation and libations is traditionally held in May and usually draws several hundred, if not a thousand, people to the small borough.

It is in partnership with Verona-based Inner Groove Brewing. Co-owner Jen Walzer and her team would coordinate with other drink sellers.

Festivities took place in Railroad Park next to the borough building.

“The new board is working out some things on the transition and didn’t feel they could take on the big event this year,” Walzer said.

Showalter said he and other new board members — wife and vice president Trish Hredzak-Showalter, treasurer Tim Galata and secretary William “Red” Craig — were working on establishing operations and could not coordinate such a large fundraiser at this time.

“It’s going to be extremely difficult,” he said. “Without that previous board, we just don’t know how to pull it off, and we don’t have the volunteers that they were able to muster.

“We’ll in no way be able to replicate what they were able to do. I really see us as a holding board until we can figure out what we’re doing. We’re placeholders. We’ll figure it out.”

Showalter said one of the reasons he and his new team took over for the departed board was to maintain the club’s nonprofit status and its funds. About $12,000 was estimated to be in club coffers.

Monies would have been distributed to other garden clubs throughout Western Pennsylvania had the club not stayed intact.

Showalter said the club will maintain existing projects, including the gardens at Riverbank Park and at the Verona Doughboy statue near the intersection of Allegheny River Boulevard and Lamagna Drive.

Other events and projects are yet to be determined.

More information about the club is available at veronagardenclub.org.