The Cape Fear Garden Club Centennial Committee has been working on plans to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Cape Fear Garden Club since 2016. Now that 2025 has arrived, the festivities are underway.
To kick of the Garden Club year a video was created by our Program Committee and featured at the September meeting. Presenting a look back at our first 100 years:
The Wilmington City Council has formally recognized 2025 as the Centennial Celebration of the Cape Fear Garden Club. Special banners have also been erected throughout downtown from Water Street to 3rd Street. Furthermore, the Centennial Tree Planting Initiative will kick off January 30 at Greenfield Lake.
Other planned activities include:
- The Cameron Art Museum unveiling of the Elizabeth Chant Exhibit on February 6th , with a special reception for Cape Fear Garden Club members from 5 – 6 pm. Champagne and charcuterie boards will be provided.
- The Centennial Kickoff Reception will be held February 11th, at 2:00pm at the St James Episcopal Church, Great Hall. This is the location of the very first meeting among the ladies who founded the Cape Fear Garden Club 100 years ago.
- Look for the Cape Fear Garden Club float in the 2025 Azalea Festival Parade on April 5, celebrating our centennial.
- In early May, we will unveil a special statue in the Urban Garden area of Riverfront Park in downtown Wilmington. The statue, created by Dumay Gorham, depicts a female tending her garden, as an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly lands on her finger. With support from the CFGC, this butterfly was named the State Butterfly of North Carolina in 2012.
- The Centennial Luncheon for Club members will be May 14, 2025, at Cape Fear Country Club. It will include a members’ fashion show depicting fashion styles of the last 100 years.
Check out Our State magazine’s February issue for our advertisement of the Centennial and the Garden Tour.