Hartford Gardens
Janet Hartford
The Garden Club has named the garden in the downtown area Hartford Gardens in honour of Janet Hartford who was one of the founding members of the Garden Club in 2000 and who embodies the meaning of community in all she has done and does in all the years of Tumbler Ridge's existence.  It was a unanimous vote.

It has been pointed out by Patsy Antle at a previous meeting that in the early years Janet was the only one with a garden.  Moving from Dawson Creek in 1983 when Tumbler Ridge began, she taught out of an ATCO trailer before the school was built.  Janet lived in a trailer on Aspen.  The teachers.  worked shifts but the first semester she came to Tumbler Ridge she was the sixth teacher and there were only five rooms so she pleasantly did not have to teach for a month.

Janet was a member of the Regional Hospital Board and a member of the Peace Liard Community Health Services Society.  She sat on the Tumbler Ridge Library Board, was involved with the community Arts Council and received an Arts Council Award.  Organizing the Tumbler Ridge Art Gallery, the TRIS'S Craft Fair in November and Ten Thousand Village Craft Sale in November, you will find her calling you to volunteer.  She also produced the Millennium Daybook Calendar.  As a member of the Tumbler Ridge Coral Society you will find her singing in various events around town.

   A driving force in the fundraising team which raised $40,000 towards a swimming pool in Tumbler Ridge she was honoured with a plague at the swimming pool.  There is the Tumbler Ridge Umbrella Committee, a group of community organizations representing all social organizations in the municipality and Janet is the representative for 49 Forever.  These are folks of any age but mainly over 49 that gather for food, fun and fact.  Everyone looks forward to her weekly write-up in the newspaper.

Did you know 60 civil marriages have been performed in the community form April 1993 to 2000 by Janet as a Marriage Commissioner?

When I asked, "Did you canvas for the Cancer Society?" referring, of course, to past things she did.  Janet responded, " would if they would ask me.  I also have canvassed for the Heart and Stroke Foundation."

Janet received the Queen's Jubilee Award Medal in 2000 for volunteer efforts and work in building Canada and Canadian communities.

Janet truly fulfills the meaning of her name, "God's gracious gift."  The Garden Club is pleased to name our garden Hartford Gardens and honour Janet.