‘Keep Norris Beautiful’ stages downtown event showcasing city’s flowers
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Members of the Keep Norris Beautiful group were on hand in front of the Norris Post Office on Saturday morning (Oct. 23) for their Norris Appreciation Day event. They are responsible for the flowers on public display throughout the downtown area. From left are: Cynthia Edrington, Eve Jordan, Shirley Walker, Susan Baker, Janet Donaldson and Susan Batchelor. - G Chambers Williams
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Janet Donaldson of Keep Norris Beautiful looks over the living wreath she tends during the winter in the Norris Veterans Memorial Park in front of the post office. - G Chambers Williams
Members of Keep Norris Beautiful put on a Norris Appreciation Day event last Saturday morning in front of the post office, greeting visitors, giving out gardening advice, and showing off some of the flowers they tend around the town.
The group is a subcommittee of the Keep Anderson County Beautiful organization, specifically aimed at taking care of public flower gardens, displays and hanging baskets that are visible throughout the downtown Norris area, said group member Cynthia Edrington.
“There are seven of us on the [Norris] team, and about 20 volunteers,” she said. “We bring the flowers to Norris.
“We have six flower gardens, including the Norris Veterans Memorial Garden [in front of the post office], our only shade garden.
“We have about 20 hanging baskets that we maintain throughout the Town Center, various businesses and City Hall,” Edrington said.
“We also decorate the town with Christmas hanging baskets.”
She said the 20 volunteers help with keeping the flowers watered.
The group also provides the Christmas ball tree in Friendship Circle, the traffic circle in front of Norris Middle School, she said.
The group’s master gardeners were on hand Saturday morning to give people gardening tips.
That included Janet Donaldson, who is one of two members of the group who maintain the living wreath in the Veterans Memorial Garden.
“I nurse it through the winter, and I turn it over to Phyllis Corgiat to take care of during the summer,” Donaldson said.