By Geri Rhoades
Eighty-six years ago, a small group of volunteers held their first meeting with the idea of helping make New Canaan more beautiful. They named their group the Garden Center. In 2006, the name was changed to the New Canaan Beautification League (NCBL). Today, more than 200 volunteers continue this important work.
As you enter New Canaan, you are greeted by blooms at the Welcome to New Canaan signs and the traffic triangles that their volunteers have planted and maintained. When you marvel at the blooming trees on Cherry Street, it’s been them since 1962. Do you know those lovely centerpieces you enjoy while eating your lobster at the annual Lobsterfest? NCBL has been creating them since 2012. Have you visited a loved one at Waveny Care and admired the flower arrangements in the dining room and public areas? They provide those for four months of the year. And they love every minute of making all this and more happen.
As they begin their 86th year of civic beautification work, they reflect on our humble beginnings. “Initially, we focused on growing Victory Gardens and sending seed money to European farmers as part of the Victory Garden campaign,” says Nancy Malling, NCBL’s current president.
After the war, the group planted 38 trees around Mead Park and established the Gold Star Walk to commemorate 38 New Canaan men killed in WWII. In 1976, they joined forces with the Garden Club creating 65 handmade holiday wreaths to decorate New Canaan’s many public and private buildings. In 1970, they planted the first of the 33 traffic triangles they maintain. Over the years, the New Canaan Beautification League has continued to create and sustain many new civic beautification projects, including 227 hanging baskets each spring, planting and caring for the Mead Park Plaza on Richmond Hill Road, helping to refurbish the entrance to Mead Park, and creating landscaping at the Train Station, Town Hall, the Post Office drive-through, the School House Apartments, and the EMT building. This year, they will design the landscape at the newly renovated Police Station and 150 new trees on South Avenue.
One of NCBL’s most prized areas is the Olive W. and George S. Lee Memorial Garden at 89 Chichester Road. Gifted to the organization by George Lee in 1978, it has become an explosion of hundreds of unique and rare species that amaze and delight visitors strolling through its many paths, which include azaleas, rhododendrons, and wildflowers throughout the blooming seasons. Entry is free and open to anyone who wants to enjoy the beauty from dawn to dusk.
While most people appreciate their work, many may not know how it all comes together. This group is incredibly proud of their history and the volunteer efforts they’ve put forth since 1939. The goal is to make the New Canaan Beautification League a more familiar name in New Canaan. The more than 200 hardworking volunteers contribute over 10,000 hours each year, filling New Canaan’s shared spaces with beautiful and beneficial plantings and promoting horticultural education for all. Keep an eye out for them in their bright green shirts and upcoming programs and projects, most open to the public.
NCBL welcomes volunteers with diverse talents to join the group and one of its 33 committees. Membership is open to anyone wanting to do good work and have a lot of fun along the way!
They rely 100% on tax-deductible donations and volunteers to continue creating and maintaining their year-round civic beautification projects. To support or join the New Canaan Beautification League, visit their website at https://newcanaanbeautification.org.
Of course, the NCBL can’t do all this without valuable help from the Department of Public Works (DPW), The Student League of Boys (SLOBS), and the National Charity League. Creating all this beauty truly takes a village, and their partnerships mean the world to them.
Callout: More than 200 hardworking volunteers contribute over 10,000 hours each year.
Geri Rhoades, PhD, is a New Canaan resident and Board Member of the New Canaan Beautification League. Since retiring from the field of Communications, Geri has concentrated on helping to make the world a better place.
