This Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m., Ithaca Garden Club and Ithaca Children's Garden will host five hundred participants at Cass Park for 1-mile and 5K races. As the runners jog down park paths and along the Cayuga Inlet, they will pass between golden beds of daffodils and beneath the white crowns of blooming crabapple trees. These spring flowers are all the result of beautification projects spearheaded by the Ithaca Garden Club. Over the last four years, they have helped plant over 130,000 bulbs of hyacinths and daffodils and 75 trees to enhance the natural beauty of our city's public spaces.
Although the Garden Club has been planting flowers and trees for over a century, the Daffodil Dash is a relatively new feature of Ithaca's community event calendar. This will be its second year following its inauguration in Spring 2023.
Elaine Alexander, Garden Club President, told me the Dash was a "bold step" for the club, which traditionally raised funds through luncheons, dinners, boutiques, and holiday teas. But when club member Melinda Oakes suggested the idea, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to reach a larger audience by showcasing the natural beauty of the newly planted flowers. They adapted accordingly.
"Many of our club members who were experienced at creating holiday decor for our traditional teas switched gears and helped to create festive daffodil-themed decor for the race. Instead of serving tea and selling hand-crafted items at a holiday boutique, they volunteered on race day to register runners and walkers, hand out T-shirts, and cheer for participants!" said Elaine.
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