Flower growers share stories at Heritage Museum event

Around 60 past and present flower growers and their families got together on June 26 for the “Sit, Chat and Remember” event, presented by the San Dieguito Heritage Museum.

The museum, with the California Humanities Community Stories Grant, invited growers to bring pictures and memories, and recorders were on at the five tables to document the information presented. The goal was to help tell the story of “Flowers, Farms and Families,” which is the mission of the Heritage Museum.

The June 26 gathering was hosted at The Barn on the Leichtag property, with stories being shared at a table for former Ecke employees, as well as a table for Robert Hall, Ades and Gish and Thornton Growers family members. In addition, a professional video person was available in a quiet side room to record videos of special family and flower growing tales.

The event was such a success that another is planned soon with a date to be announced.

Credit for organizing the event goes to Evelyn Weidner; Jeff Charles, history professor at UC San Marcos; Zane, a UC San Marcos intern; Edgar Engert, former Ecke employee and museum board member; longtime Ecke and Leichtag employee Dempsey Sawyer; Jim Farley and the Leichtag organization; and seven dedicated “Table Monitors.”