We, the Garden Lovers of Natchez, are finally catching our breath and reflecting on our “Riverside Reflections” flower show and meeting that we had planned for the last three years. We are a member of the Garden Club of America, Zone IX, that spans from Lookout Mountain, Tenn., to San Antonio, Texas. We entertained over 150 delegates from Zone IX and all across America, including the national president and the incoming president. They were thrilled to come to Natchez and we are so grateful for the support from our community that helped us to show them our beautiful city.

We booked the convention center and the Natchez Grand Hotel more than 3 years ago with Walter Tipton. Our work began, and we received wonderful support from Walter, Joann Brumfield and everyone who worked at the convention center. The Natchez Grand Hotel allowed us to take over their hotel, have an ongoing registration table and, also, catered beautifully to all our visitors. The Historic Natchez Foundation, as always, would do anything for us. Kathleen Jenkins Bond with Natchez National Historical Park put up a fabulous award winning conservation/preservation/education exhibit on Melrose for the Flower Show, and The Natchez Democrat was very generous with their publicity.

The finale was a fabulous awards dinner at the Natchez Community Center decorated in red by John Grady Burns, volunteers and club members. We took this former Service Motor Company to a level it could never have imagined!

The Garden Lovers of Natchez worked hard to show off our wonderful city and we want to let everyone who worked with us know how much we appreciate their efforts and help. These visiting ladies know there’s much more to see and do here in Natchez, and they will be back!

As co-chairmen of the Garden Lovers of Natchez Zone IX meeting 2017, Stephanie Punches and I say thank you.

Sherry Jones

Natchez resident