Gardening passion drives McKinley group

The group designed this year's flower bed to honor Ohio's 200th birthday.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
NILES -- After more than eight years, the routine is pretty much set: Get together at least once a week, check on the flowers and plant new ones when necessary and, after a few hours, head out for doughnuts.
"We always go to Plaza Donuts when we are done with our work," said a laughing Shirley Stephens, the unofficial leader of the McKinley Memorial Gardeners.
The men and women of the volunteer group joke that the treats are the biggest reason they gather, but the flower gardens at the memorial and the nearby McKinley Birthplace are their true passion.
"I told my husband, Bill, a few years ago I thought the memorial needed some flowers, some attention," explained Stephens, whose husband heads the McKinley Birthplace Association. "He told me I should find some people to get out and help me do it."
So she did.
The 13 volunteers show up at the memorial on North Main Street armed with gloves, buckets, flowers and gardening tools. Though the rest of the landscaping is handled by professionals, the flower beds are their territory.
Seasonal flowers
As the seasons change, so do the flowers. Bright red geraniums give a splash of color in the spring and early summer, and yellow mums blend in nicely with the fall foliage.
Even in the dead of winter, the volunteers brave the cold and wind to decorate the trees with Christmas lights.
"We freeze our fingers off sometimes, but we're here," said Mary Fuller of Howland. "It just makes everything look so much nicer."
They normally meet in the morning, but once temperatures start to drop in the fall, volunteers will come back in the evenings to cover the flowers.
"To put our babies to bed," as Shirley Benedict explains it.
Stephens, Fuller, Benedict, Doris Imburgia, Nancy Malone, Nonnie Wolford, Ellen and Lou Sheldon, Patty O'Connell, Judi Prokop, Dick and Jane Stephens and James Alan Yuhasz not only enjoy the chance to get out and garden and make a historical site even more impressive, but also the chance to meet people.
Considered a major tourism site for presidential history buffs, the McKinley Memorial gets it fair share of bus trips, bike tours and the like.
"We have met some really interesting people over the years," said Fuller. "People are always walking by, telling us how good they think the flowers look."
"We meet a lot of people from out of town," added Benedict. "And there are always people here who would take this place for granted, but eventually come by."
The volunteers are known for giving a little something extra when it's called for as well.
Last year, they planted red, white and blue flowers in the shape of the American flag in front of the William McKinley statue.
Bicentennial design
This year, they decided to do something special to mark the 200th anniversary of Ohio's statehood.
"We got in touch with Caroline Wallace Eichwein, who is a landscape architect in the Columbus area and a Niles native," said Stephens.
Eichwein helped the group design a flower bed that uses red and white flowers to create script Ohio, the signature formation of the Ohio State University marching band.
When the university band performs the display, the honor of dotting the "i" is traditionally given to a senior tuba player. Fuller said when the group planted the local version, they gave their own twist to that tradition.
"When it came time to dot the 'i,' we had James Yuhasz -- who is an Ohio State graduate -- plant that flower," she said.
"It only seemed fitting."
The McKinley Memorial Gardeners are always looking for new faces to help with the work and share the doughnuts.
Call Stephens at (330) 652-9632.
slshaulis@vindy.com