City club shares 'the fascinating world of hummingbirds' at greenhouse seminar
Mar. 26—The Sandyvale Greenhouse Seminar series kicked off Saturday at Sandyvale Greenhouse at Sandyvale Memorial Gardens and Conservancy with the "The Fascinating World of Hummingbirds" presented by the Garden Club of Johnstown.
According to Diana Kabo, president of Sandyvale Memorial Gardens and Conservancy, this is the eighth year of the seminar series at the memorial gardens and they have continued to grow throughout the span.
"This is the largest one we've ever had," Kabo said. "The garden club has been a great resource every year. This is part of their mission to educate the community and so we just give them that opportunity to do it here."
Saturday's seminar was the first of five.
Kabo added that for other seminars, topics are researched to find not only interesting topics, but ones that have not been featured before.
"This is wonderful for the community because it not only gives you information about the different topics, but it's enjoyable because you gather with other people that have similar interests and there's always a workshop involved where you take something home," Kabo said. "There's a social aspect of it where you meet new people, talk and visit. I think that's part of why they're so successful."
Gloria Reed, of Geistown, said that she has been attending the seminars for several years.
"They're always better and better with more activities and a great variety of information for the public," Reed said. "I'm just delighted to be able to be at one of these seminars. They always have something to take home, which is always fun. They always have something to do, which is always fun. You always have great refreshments, which we appreciate. They're always adding something new to the building, which is amazing."
Shannon Reed, of Verona, said she likes the seminars because of the incorporation of native plants in the seminars.
Kim Haluska said she and her sister, Patty Wingard, are both interested in hummingbirds and have been trying to attend one of the seminars since last year.
"We are interested in hummingbirds and I wanted to come to class here last year with my daughter, but it was already booked up," Haluska said. "So whenever I saw this, I started following them on Facebook and everything."
Lindy Yutzy, of Johnstown, attended the event with her 11-year-old granddaughter Faith Gillin.
Yutzy said that she has been attending the seminars for three years.
"I enjoy their classes so much," Yutzy said, adding that she will be bringing her other granddaughter to one of the next seminars. "I learned a lot. They're short. They're knowledgeable, and they're affordable."
Garden Club of Johnstown members Jackie Johnson, Karlice Makuchan and Nancy Rovansek were on hand to lead a workshop repurposing wine bottles as hummingbird feeders followed by a seminar on hummingbirds.
Makuchan, who co-chairs the club's conservation and environment committee with Johnson, described the event as good outreach to the public.
"It's a way to entice people who like something and then we shoot them with some information," Makuchan said, adding that attendees would learn about different types of hummingbirds, including those that are prevalent in the area and threats to the species.
Makuchan added that events such as Saturday's help community members see that the club is a service organization.
"I think it's a way for us to be known in the public and to have them see things that we're doing," Makuchan said. "We do a lot of civic development sites in town. It's civic development, conservation, environment, horticultural therapy and then we do our fundraiser in November, and those funds go for these things that we do in the community."
