Virginia Sanders remembers Penny Rosenthal during Arbor Day celebration

A downpour just minutes before the 11 a.m. start of the Longboat Key Garden Club’s annual Arbor Day celebration Thursday, Jan. 17, in Bicentennial Park, necessitated a quick change of venue, but it didn’t dampen participants’ spirits.

About 35 people shuffled into Longboat Key Town Hall for a ceremony dedicated to former club President Penny Rosenthal who died last May.

“Penny worked tirelessly to maintain Bicentennial Park,” said Virginia Sanders, who served as co-president with Rosenthal from 1994 to 1996.  To honor her memory, the Garden Club had a marker made with her name placed in front of a Hawaiian orchid tree.

Sanders recounted memories of Rosenthal at the ceremony and continued her annual tradition of sharing a story about a type of tree. This year, she spoke about the history of chestnut trees.