Several members of the Boothbay Region Garden Club (BRGC) attended the Garden Club Federation of Maine (GCFM) Convention held this year in Bar Harbor Wednesday and Thursday, June 15-16. One exciting feature of the convention is the presentation of awards to clubs who have earned distinction over the previous year within any of the many categories of outstanding club and community work. Clubs are grouped by size for award consideration and BRGC falls into the category of an X-large Club.

President Mimi O'Neill was clearly very happy to accept the National Garden Clubs, Inc.'s (NGC) First Place award for the BRGC Yearbook. The Yearbook, also First Place within GCFM, provides a schedule of monthly events a year in advance. The Publicity Press Book, a compilation of the year's press releases regarding club activity, took second place within GCFM. 

In addition to the above awards, BRGC received recognition for its the work with the Blue Star Memorial Marker and for contributions to the GCFM supported Habitat for Humanity. Recognition was also received for BRGC's application for the Norine Veal Membership Award, which acknowledges a club's ability to attract new membership. BRGC welcomed 10 new members into the fold this past year while the award winning club had 16.

The Club of Distinction award is given to an organization based on the number of points accumulated for all the projects, programs and activities a club offers to its membership and the community throughout the year. Points are awarded from 5 to 15, according to established criteria, for each event or activity. BRGC can be proud of its Recognition from GCFM for its accumulation of 335 points for the year 2014-2015.

Boothbay Region Garden Club activities are now in full swing with summer blooming everywhere on the Boothbay Peninsula. The next "Maine" event for BRGC is the upcoming Home and Garden Tour which is a winner among visitors and locals alike. Tickets sell out fast for this event so buy them early. The House and Garden Tour will be held on Friday, July 22, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased from BRGC and the Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce.