The New Bern Garden Club (NBGC) invites the community to celebrate a full century of service at its Centennial Banquet, Monday, September 15, at 5:30 PM at The Flame (2301 Neuse Boulevard). Guests will enjoy a cocktail reception with a live violin and cello duo, followed by dinner and a program spotlighting NBGC’s history and community impact, featuring guest speaker and historian Nelson McDaniel. Tickets are $35 per person, cash bar, and open to the public. RSVP required: 603-233-0942, or email newberngardenclub@gmail.com.
The evening honors a mission NBGC has carried since 1926: “To Conserve, to Revere, and to Beautify our Community.” Founded as a department of the New Bern Woman’s Club, NBGC later became an independent 501(c)(3) affiliated with the Garden Club of North Carolina, though many members remain active in both organizations today.
Made up largely of Master Gardeners and residents who simply love working in the soil, the club has spent a century putting its hands to quiet service rather than fanfare — creating and donating flower arrangements for the Hospice Annual Luncheon and Meals on Wheels, and serving as docents for the Historical Society’s Preservation Home Tours and Ghost Walk.
NBGC has also long served as steward of local history. In 1948, the club rescued the historic Judge William Gaston Law Office from demolition, decades before New Bern had a system for protecting historic properties. Its ongoing preservation, including a 2022–2025 restoration and new butterfly garden, reflects a sustainability ethos the club practiced long before the term became popular.
That commitment continues in newer initiatives, including the Children’s Sustainability Calendar, launched three years ago — an educational coloring-book calendar distributed to local schoolchildren, funded through company sponsorships. This year, NBGC also held its first major fundraiser, a Golf Ball Drop, with proceeds supporting restoration repairs at the Judge Gaston Office; the event returns in 2027.
The club also administers the Margaret Rawls Stancil Scholarship, awarding up to $3,000 annually to North Carolina students pursuing horticulture, landscape design, or plant science.
As NBGC marks its 100th year, the Centennial Banquet offers a rare chance for the community to celebrate alongside the club that has spent a century conserving, revering, and beautifying New Bern.