We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
l-r at bottom of photo) Sharon Thackeray, Tanis Ross and Carol Johnsrud were part of a group that recently planted five pink lilac bushes at the Chinook Presbyterian Church in honor of Cheryl Upshaw Barber. Plans call for daffodils to be added in the fall in honor of Betty Lou Barber Stender, Cheryl's mother-in- law. (Photos of Cheryl and Betty Lou are inset at the top of the photo). Both women were active members in the church and both died from cancer. Daffodils in Betty Lou's honor will be planted this coming fall. Other locals who helped with the project but are not pictured are Roxanne and Terry Townsend and Don Ross.
Cheryl Upshaw Barber succumbed to cancer in late 2021. Cheryl was a long time active member of the Chinook Presbyterian Church and known for her regular calls to folks wishing them to "Have a nice day." Cheryl's family asked if some of the memorials given to the church in her honor could be used to plant pink flowers at the church in her honor. It was common knowledge that pink was Cheryl's favorite color.
About a year later in September, 2022 Betty Lou Barber Stender, Cheryl's mother-in-law, died after a prolonged battle with cancer. Also an active member of the local congregation, Betty Lou was often referred to as "the daffodil lady" because of her participation in the American Cancer Society's annual sale of daffodils as a fundraiser. Members at the church already contemplating plantings in Cheryl's memory decided to include flowers in Betty's memory. Then COVID intervened and made it difficult to search for flowers, acquire them and do the plantings
A trip west for lilacs
A group of women at the church meet regularly to visit and do sewing/knitting/crocheting projects. Tanis Ross, an avid reader in the group, shared a book with the other ladies titled "Where the Lilacs Still Bloom." Tanis said, "The book was a novel but was based on the life and work of Hulda Klager who created several new varieties of lilacs. She wanted lilac bushes with blooms having increased numbers of flowers and she ultimately created them." After reading about Hulda Klager's hybridization work and the famed gardens named in her honor in Woodland, Washington, the group decided they would make a pilgrimage west to visit the gardens during the annual Lilac Days (late April through mid-May). And they would search for the perfect pink lilacs to plant in Cheryl Barber's honor.
In early May Tanis Ross, Roxanne Townsend and Carol Johnsrud, locals in the weekly group, headed for Woodland, 20 miles north of Portland, Oregon. They were accompanied by Linda Rice, Tanis' sister-in-law from the Choteau, Montana area. Roxanne said other parts of the community were involved in making this epic trip happen, noting Keri Hanson, with Secret Sun Travel "assisted us in finding and securing our lodging at a VRBO."
While at the annual festival the group was joined by other family and friends from the west coast. The four Montanans drove 900 miles to Woodland taking two days' time and spent two days visiting the lilac gardens and enjoying the festivities surrounding Lilac Days. For Cheryl's plantings they chose five lilac bushes. After considering all the possible choices the group selected varieties of lilacs named Pink Elizabeth and Miss Kim. Then they drove the two days back home.
The travelers all commented about the beauty of the Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens-the festivities surrounding Lilac Days, the restoration of the pioneer farm, Hilda's reconstructed Lilac Garden and the overall splendor of the farm and surrounding area. Asked about a defining takeaway from the six day trip, one traveler commented, "I was impressed that four women from such diverse backgrounds could remain compatible for such a long trip." And they all admitted to thinking about other similar trips they might make as a group in the future.
Late May the weather was cooperative and volunteers were available to plant the five lilac bushes toward the back of the side yard of the Presbyterian Church on Indiana Street in Chinook. Others volunteers joined the group to plant the shrubs including two husbands of travelers, Don Ross and Terry Townsend and sewing group member Sharon Thackery who did not make the trip to the gardens. Don Ross brought his new John Deere tractor in for some ground breaking and landscaping. The lilacs are doing well and interested readers are welcome to check out the garden spot between the church and the office building to the north.
What's next?
Daffodils are definitely on the 'to do list' for planting in the fall. Currently the group shared no grand plans to travel cross country to find the perfect daffodil, but then it's hard to tell with this group. They do like to explore new places together.
