Dozens of people were present to witness the official dedication of the new daylily statue located by the amphitheater on Main Street in Buford on Tuesday morning.
The statue, which towers over the park on Main Street, has a base made of iron, the stem is stainless steel and the flowers and leaves are made of copper. The daylily statue is made so the flowers and leaves are not rigid. On a windy day, the statue comes to life, gently swaying in the wind.
The artist, James “Jim” Bradford, said he “wanted the statue (16 feet tall) larger than people to show nature is bigger than us all.”
Residents, along with officials from the city of Buford, State Sen. Butch Miller, guests from the Garden Club of Georgia Inc. and the Laurel District were on hand to celebrate the statue that The Stonehedge Garden Club made possible. Remarks were made by Bettie Stoneking, president of the Stonehedge Garden Club, Mary Alice Beard, garden club member and the artist.
Wanting to do something special for the residents of the city, the Stonehedge Garden Club decided to invest its surplus money into the creation of the daylily statue. Club members knew they wanted their money to go into a project that the residents of the city could enjoy for decades to come. After brainstorming, they landed on having a daylily statue made.
The club joined forces with the artist and came up with a drawing of the statue. The idea of the sculpture was then presented to the city of Buford for their approval. The project received overwhelming support from the city, according to garden club member Mary Alice Beard.
The city of Buford committed resources to making the statue possible. Charles Black Construction was hired to modify the existing area in the park to accommodate the large statue. Due to its size and weight, the statue had to be hoisted into position by large machinery.
The Stonehedge Garden Club would like to thank the city of Buford and all of the donors who made the statue possible. They would also like to thank Charles Black Construction, as well as the residents of Buford.
On the program at the dedication ceremony, the garden club wrote, “We want to thank everyone in attendance today. We value YOUR interest in the beautification of this community and our world. We hope that this statue will enrich the lives of all who pass by and inspire the love of gardening.”
The garden club has given the city of Buford a wonderful gift that as the statue ages will only become more beautiful as it gets a lovely patina.
The Stonehedge Garden Club is based in Buford and meets monthly at the Buford First United Methodist Church. Its is the only garden club in the North Gwinnett area. The next nearest garden clubs are in Lawrenceville, Gainesville and Cumming.
Besides sharing their love of gardening, club members have numerous charitable endeavors, including giving out scholarships to students of horticulture, making Christmas sacks, decorating Buford Manor nursing home for Christmas, decorating a charity ball and also decorating a charity fashion show. Look for more projects from the club that will surely leave the community better than ever.
