Special to The Advocate

Selma's fabled storyteller Kathryn Tucker Windham was the guest speaker at the District VI Annual GCA Meeting. held in Selma Oct. 18, 2006 at the Central Alabama Farmers Co-Op Building.

Windham delighted listeners with her wit and wisdom, telling them her father had also been a storyteller. Her mother, an avid gardener didn't, however, care much for housekeeping.

&#8220She didn't like to iron, either. Mother's idea of ironing was to wash it, shake it and walk fast,” Windham told her audience. Guests also enjoyed a luncheon, blessed in song by Georgiana's Frances Garner, along with beautiful harp music by Selma's own Sally Jordan.

The 108 guests present were welcomed to the city by Mayor James Perkins Jr. and Judge Johnny Jones.

Suzy Shepherd, District VI historian and Georgiana Garden Club president, thanked the host club for their gracious hospitality and delicious refreshments.

Following the luncheon, a silent auction was held for 23 gift baskets prepared by the various garden clubs. Despite its &#8220silent auction” status, Ann Daniels wasn't so silent when she won the Auburn basket donated by the Georgiana Garden Club.

During the meeting, Shepherd was installed as corresponding secretary for the new club year, along with Marcia Plaster, parliamentarian; Alicia Harris, treasurer; Judy Manning, recording secretary; Claudette Wilson, vice director and Janet Lewis, district director.

Other highlights of the meeting are as follows:

n Georgiana Garden Club won the award for having nine members present out of 11 on the roll. It also won the prize for selling the most raffle tickets. Ethel Hall of the Georgiana Garden Club was presented with a beautiful bird house by the president to honor her as the individual selling the most tickets. Alicia Harris won the State Life Membership presented by the GCA.

n Six students were awarded scholarships from the garden clubs to Auburn University to study in the fields of horticulture, forestry and landscape design.

n Suzy Shepherd, garden therapy chair, announced awards would be presented to clubs who report most outstanding garden therapy work done with children or adults confined to hospitals, institutions or at home. Pride of Greenville Garden Club won second place for their work in this area.

n It was announced $70,000 in grant monies will be awarded to garden clubs wishing to beautify areas in Florida, Alabama, Texas and Louisiana that were devastated by hurricanes.

n It was announced the Diamond Jubilee Meeting is set for April 24-26 at the Embassy Suite Hotel in Montgomery.