Nassau Bay Garden Club takes time out to party

May 1st, 2018

Nassau Bay Garden Club President Betty Armstrong, right, welcomes Judith Crowley, left, and Mary Grieneek to the biennial fashion show luncheon at Lakewood Yacht Club.

LOOKING FOR the most outstanding garden club in the Bay Area? You won’t have to look far. Most folks will tell you the hands-down winner is the Nassau Bay Garden Club, whose members are always on call when their city needs help.

Outside of Nassau Bay, few people know of all the hard work these ladies do to make their city sparkle. Led by President Betty Armstrong, they support things like Arbor Day and Beautification Day and find time to help clean up Peninsula Nature Park and the other city parks, repair and refurbish the city parks after Hurricane Harvey, even host a spring flower show for the city.

Then every two years they toss a big spring fashion show luncheon at Lakewood Yacht Club that is a must-attend event.

“Va-Va-Bloom” was the theme Chairman Cherry Nims and her committee picked for the 2018 luncheon that brought out a standing-room-only crowd of around 230 to watch as Style Show Co-Chairmen Jennifer Hudgins and Valerie Moses sent a number of pretty models down the runway, showing off spring and summer fashions from Casanova’s, Bay Back Boutique, The Clotheshorse Boutique and Designs by Kelly Halbach.

The models included a number of well known faces such as Judge Holly Williamson, Mayor Pro-tem Sandra Mossman and several wives of city councilmen in the mix — Stacey Amdur, Ashleigh Klug and Sue Warters, along with Mary Chambers, Joy Edwards, Kathryn Gehbauer, Kelly Halbach, Betty Harper, Tuie Lee, Christie Reynolds, Joyce Mayor, Kitty Kalil, Judith Crowley, Jayne Samson, Donna Stoa and Win Weber.

Long-time member Ann Gay wore a big smile as she welcomed both City Manager Jason Reynolds and former City Manager Chris Reed – each there to say thank you to the club that gives so much to their city.

At the entrance, highlighting the theme, stood a beautiful 1948 Packard limousine owned by the president of the Packard Club in League City, Tommy Baccaro, with his son, Anthony.

Once inside, you might have spotted the theme poster artist Kelly Halbach created or the beautiful program Gail Ferris Beasley designed that listed the many others who played key roles in making the afternoon a huge success — Nancee Lynn, D’Lisa Johnston, Richard Armstrong, Beth Ann Maxwell, Ann Gay, Jayne Samson, Jayne Land, Mary Tuttle, Gail Ferris Beasley, Peg Hill, Ann Davidson, Suzanne Gossett, Mary Ann Prescott, Betty Armstrong, Royce Walker and Priss Fletcher.

Or swooned over the gorgeous floral arrangements donated by HEB that created a floral garden in the Lakewood ballroom.

Astronaut Shane Kimbrough gets a warm welcome from Bay Oaks Women’s Association Vice Presidents Amy Schweers, left, and Suzanne Leatherman as he arrives to address their monthly luncheon at the country club..

And, just as you might expect, proceeds will go toward the beautification of Nassau Bay, horticulture scholarships and education programs.

Astronaut keynotes BOWA luncheon
CLEAR LAKE may be the home of the Johnson Space Center, but rarely do we get to spend time with the busy astronauts. So Bay Oaks Women’s Association members were more than delighted last month when astronaut Shane Kimbrough, a former International Space Station commander, was the keynote speaker for their April luncheon at the country club.

President Susan McCoy and Vice Presidents Suzanne Leatherman and Amy Schweers were there to greet him on arrival and welcome him to Bay Oaks. They, like everyone in the crowd, thoroughly enjoyed his talk and video of his experiences on the Space Station.

Earlier, Susan welcomed Karen Reed, Sharon Phelps, Courtney Atchley, Georgia Piwonka, Cindy Zook, Sue Laabs, Sue Broughton, Barbara Dickey, Brigid McVaugh and next month’s speaker, author Eileen Hult, as Sharon Dillard and Amy Roppolo signed them in.

Some of the others spotted in the crowd were Annette Dwyer, Kimberly Weathers, Glenna Crist, Jodi Schnabel, Mitzi Romanko, Bobbie Moutz, Kay Lee Benoit, Gayle Wylie and Mary Colombo, to name a few.

Symphony Leaguekick s off Home Tour

Lola Mclain, from left, with Sue Ellen Jennings and Jackie Daley.Romanko, Bobbie Moutz, Kay Lee Benoit, Gayle Wylie and Mary Colombo, to name a few.

HOUSTON SYMPHONY League Bay Area kicked off their 2018 Home Tour by the Bay with a lively Pre-Tour Party at the home of Kyle and Misty Killebrew  in Clear Lake’s Bay Oaks.

Some of those you might have spotted Party Chairman Carole Murphy welcoming included Ron and Pat Biddle Kahl, Jim and Jane Sweeney, Pat and Wendell Wilson, Mary Voigt, Mariglen Glenn, Elisabeth Wilson, Walter Bell, and Joan Wade and her daughter, Andrea Koop.

Quite a party it was, and best of all, the proceeds help support music education in our local schools.

Nassau Bay Garden Club kicks off 50th anniversary

May 1st, 2014

Photo by Mary Alys Cherry Style Show Co-Chairman Alice Thomas, right, welcomes author Eileen Hult to the Nassau Bay Garden Club Style Show Luncheon at Lakewood Yacht Club.

Photo by Mary Alys Cherry
Style Show Co-Chairman Alice Thomas, right, welcomes author Eileen Hult to the Nassau Bay Garden Club Style Show Luncheon at Lakewood Yacht Club.

Nassau Bay Garden Club members launched their 50th anniversary celebration with their 2014 luncheon and style show at Lakewood Yacht Club.

The popular biennial luncheon, “Celebrating 50 years of ‘Flowers, Friendship and Fun’ and co-chaired by Nancy Guthrie and Audrey Legendre, featured fashions from Dillard’s at Baybrook Mall modeled by club members – including retired Clear Creek school superintendent Dr. Sandra Mossman; artist Kelly Halbach; attorney Win Weber, who serves on the school board; and interior designer Laurie Vaughn.

Others joining them on the runway modeling some beautiful spring and summer fashions were Diana Denman, Jana Reed, Susan Benson, Becky Smith, Linda Dunk, Kathryn Gehbauer, Cherry Nims, Joy Edwards, Dina Doebbler, Jayne Samson, Jenni Hudgins, Tuie Lee and Donna Stoa.

Much to the delight of Ellen King, Pat Bertelli, Eva deCardenas, Joyce Abbey, Cheryl and Jennifer Matter, Joyce Magliolo, Micki Czarnik, Sharon Maaz, Maurita Gallagher, Mary Ann and Mandy Stillwell, Kathleen Kearnes, Betsy Lake, Diane Gillebaard, Karen and Barbie Morris and Gail Newberry.

Special guests introduced by President Betty Armstrong included Nassau Bay Mayor Mark Denman and City Manager Chris Reed, who came with their wives, Diana and Jana, and sat with Harris County Constable Phil Sandlin and UHCL Associate Professor Dr. James Benson and his wife, Susan – not far from Amoco Federal Credit Union President Shawn Bailey and Business Development Director Kevin Venable.

Faces in the crowd at the Nassau Bay Garden Club Luncheon included a few of the masculine variety, including, from right, Amoco Federal Credit Union President Shawn Bailey, Nassau Bay City Manager Chris Reed and Mayor Mark Denman and Amoco Federal Business Development Director Kevin Venable.

Faces in the crowd at the Nassau Bay Garden Club Luncheon included a few of the masculine variety, including, from right, Amoco Federal Credit Union President Shawn Bailey, Nassau Bay City Manager Chris Reed and Mayor Mark Denman and Amoco Federal Business Development Director Kevin Venable.

Some of the others in the sellout crowd were Gail Beasley, Liz Clayton, Alice Thomas, Joyce Stagg, Jackie Powers, Edie Houldon, Nina Quartaro, Emmeline Dodd, Leona Pleasant, Glenna Crist, Sharon Phelps, Betty Geehan, Helene Poling, Cleo Jones, Tina Romeo, Hazel Harron, Dorothea Pongetti, Eileen Hult, Suzanne Gossett, Gun Frame, Wray Lindersmith, Sue Warters, Rosemary Bettis, Judith Shaw, Kerry Humphrey, Betty Clem, Johnnie Mae Houchins and Johnette Norman.

Among those helping make it a very successful event were Charlotte Reem, Jayne Samson, Priss Fletcher, Joyce Mayor, Brenda Hesse, Mary Tuttle, Gail Ferris Beasley, Ann Gay, Karen Welniak, Nancee Lynn, Ginger Hall and Becky Smith with Alice Thomas and Sue Warters in charge of the style show.

Bay Area Houston Magazine