LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Wreaths Around Orinda


Life Scout Michael Bernatz tests a light pole for a "Wreath Around Town" decoration Photos Eric Dausman

Orinda is dressed in a bit of holiday cheer, thanks to the Orinda Garden Club (OGC) and one local Boy Scout troop. The club purchased 60 wreaths from Troop 237 (which sells them as a fundraiser), added decorations of their own and met with scout volunteers Saturday morning to decorate buildings around Orinda. This is the first year for the project, called "Wreaths Around Town." Wreaths were hung along Orinda's historic bridge, outside stores near the community center, in front of the downtown fire station and around the library, Orinda Crossroads and Theater Square. OGC's Jane Wiser and Troop 237's Stephen Schmidt co-chaired the event. Over 40 garden club members and an additional dozen scouts and scout parents participated in decorating or hanging the wreaths. It wasn't always easy, as Saturday's wind necessitated using cinder blocks to secure the wreaths in some locations. Wiser calls the wreaths a "manageable symbol of the holiday," and sees the wreath-hanging as an opportunity to "spread the joy of the season around town." When asked if OGC will take on the project again next year, her reply was an emphatic "we sure hope so!"