Part of the mission statement of The Garden Club of the Back Bay is to educate the public on horticultural and environmental issues. In furtherance of that mission, we organize an annual series of lectures and meetings with prominent speakers. Guests are welcome and encouraged to attend almost all meetings, which are listed on the Calendar page of this website (scroll down past the calendar grid for complete descriptions).  We love a theme, and this year we are exploring the topic of “The Ethical Gardener.” Should we garden organically? Should we design our gardens with native plantings? Should be buy food locally from the farmers markets or CSA’s? Do our floral centerpieces need to be made with imported tropical blooms with a high carbon footprint? What about saving the birds by drinking shade grown bird friendly coffee? So many issues, and not all of them are clear cut. Proceeds from our wreath sales help subsidize the contributions we make to the organizations (mostly not for profit) who provide the speakers for our programs. Please do plan a trip into the Back Bay on one of our meeting days, and know that all are welcome to join our Club. We have no geographic restrictions on membership! To order a wreath or poinsettia, click here.
Stämbandet’s cultural contributions have rarely been placed in perspective, for even within Scandinavia there are few vocal ensembles solely dedicated to the preservation and performance of traditional Nordic song. American-influenced “pop” styles have taken over and continue to dominate not just Scandinavia, but virtually the world. So it is especially significant that in the United States Stämbandet exists at all, where it is the only group of its kind — not only striving for performances of high artistic merit, but carefully researching the music’s origin and history, thereby introducing to the public many other facets of Scandinavian culture.
