BCSEM NEWSLETTER ARTICLE, SPRING, 2026
“ANOTHER EXCITING YEAR AHEAD FOR BCSEM”
By John Darin, President, BCSEM
We are all looking forward to another exciting year of growth, networking, and camaraderie amongst our Beautification Council of Southeastern Michigan member cities, townships, villages, garden clubs, and individuals! We’re starting to see the end of seasonably cold winter weather, and a temperature rise into the 50’s and 60’s. That’s a very welcome move on the part of Mother Nature! A rise in ambient temperature is very exciting because it triggers hormonal and emotional responses in all of us to start to Think Spring, and to start planning our planting and gardening adventures for this upcoming year.
BCSEM will again be co-hosting the annual “Celebrate Spring!” Quarterly Meeting Program with our partner Keep Michigan Beautiful this year. The date this year is Wednesday, April 8, 2026. It will be held again at The Gazebo Banquet Center, 31104 Mound Road, Warren, a really excellent venue. And, our Quarterly Meeting registration fees still remain the same at only $20! And, it’s all tax deductible because BCSEM and KMB are both tax-exempt non-profit organizations! Our partnership with KMB in co-hosting this event has come a long way since 2018, our inaugural co-hosted year. Prior to 2018, both organizations hosted their own Spring membership educational programs in the metro Detroit area. In terms of efficiency and program attendance, it made sense to combine our efforts into one fantastic program, drawing attendance through both organizations. And it has worked! The programs were cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID, but they have come back even stronger. The upcoming 2026 “Celebrate Spring!” Program features WXYZ’s Emmy Award-Winning Journalist Carolyn Clifford as our Mistress of Ceremony! Featured Speakers are Marc Pasco from the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, and Kris Johns, from Beautify Burton. You won’t want to miss this one! More information can be found in this Newsletter. And many thanks to Beverly Smith, KMB President, for all of her hard work organizing this Program! See you all there!
And let’s not forget to plan on attending our other 2026 BCSEM Quarterly Meetings! We’re very excited about these upcoming events! Mailings and announcements to follow on each:
- Summer Quarterly Meeting – Thursday, June 18, 2026, City of Fraser, Hosted by the Fraser First Booster Club & Hanover Grove Cooperative, 9:30 am – 2:00 pm.
- Fall Quarterly Meeting – Thursday, September 17th, HOST CITY/CITIES URGENTLY NEEDED! Stat! To inquire regarding hosting, please contact Pat Deck, BCSEM Quarterly Meeting Coordinator at larryandpatdeck@gmail.com .
- Winter Quarterly Meeting – Thursday, December 10, 2026, City of Grosse Pointe Park, Details Forthcoming.
Thank you ALL again for your partnerships, for your collective efforts in beautifying your communities, and for your stewardship of our precious environment. Think Spring! Happy Gardening!