Demeter Garden Club (Fayetteville, Ark.)

The Demeter Garden Club was formed in 1951, as a social horticultural group separate from the Daughters of Demeter, an older organization of the University of Arkansas, which was founded in 1927. The group participated in various floral activities such as sponsoring "flower show schools," in which lectures were given discussing the preservation and care for cut flowers, practicing for flower shows, and especially, the visual presentation and overall aesthetic value of arrangements. Although a relatively small club with twenty-five members total, the group became an official member of the Arkansas Federation of Garden Clubs at the 22nd Annual Convention in Conway, Arkansas in May of 1953. Also, the garden club hosted several flower shows that drew visitors from other states. The Demeter Garden Club changed its name to Home and Garden Club in 1983; however, the original aim of the club to "stimulate an interest in cooperative gardening" and to make the grounds of the community more beautiful was retained.