The Hartville Garden Club resumed regular monthly meetings beginning on April 27 at the old Methodist Church on W. Rolla St. in Hartville.
Eleven members attended, with the secretary and treasury reports given and approved. This year, the Club has decided to focus on activities to improve our community. The first project has been to provide and plant flowers in the cement planters that are scattered around downtown Hartville. Although the cold, rainy weather delayed the project, it has been accomplished. Also, the Hartville chapter of the VFW asked for permission to install a huge LED American flag on the building that holds the nativity scene materials above the city park lake.
The flag has been installed and is beautifully lit every evening. The speaker for the April meeting was Dr. Don Hotalling, of Hartville.
A retired superintendent of schools, Don initially began as an artist. Don grew up in Flippin and Bull Shoals, where his father worked on the Bull Shoals Dam and his mother was employed by hospitality resorts in the area.
He and his best friend, James Wyman, were two of seven founding members of the Ozarks Woodcarving Guild, and carved figurines and other decorative items to be sold at and gift shops in the area. Don and James were also the first woodcarvers at Silver Dollar City.
As Vietnam was heating up, Don joined the Navy and was an illustrative draftsman stationed on a destroyer tender. Upon completing his tour of duty, he was employed as a senior artist engraver at Hallmark Cards in Kansas City. Don brought examples of his three dimensional work, including the 1970 Christmas card designed for the President of the United States.
He explained the processes and materials in producing all of the embossed items for which Hallmark Cards is famous.
Unfortunately, Don was involved in an automobile accident with a drunk driver resulting in injuries serious enough to end his commercial art career. Don changed direction and completed a degree in Biology and Chemistry, taught in Osceola and Wheatland, and continued on to complete a Masters in Biology, Specialist in both Principalship and Superintendency, and later a doctorate in Educational Administration. Our next meeting is a potluck picnic at the Hartville City Park on Highway 5 on Tuesday, June 22. We will gather at 5:30 p.m. to visit and dine, with the meeting/guest speakers to follow. Our guests will be the Hartville Hardware Store who will tell us about their new product section featuring specialized gardening supplies such as items for hydroponics, specialized bedding and organic fertilizers. We also anticipate a vendor to show examples of cement garden planters and figurines that currently are available through Fisher Feeds. Lastly, the VFW will be providing patriotic music during the picnic. All who are interested in gardening are invited!
