You might have thought you wandered into The Great Gatsby — but instead of nihilism and existentialism, the Enumclaw Garden Club was celebrating its 100th birthday with flowers and a fashion show.

The Garden Club’s party was held on May 24 at the Lake Wilderness Lodge.

1923 was a happening year, from the first issue of “Time” magazine to the opening of Yankee Stadium and the founding of the Walt Disney Company.

And down here in Enumclaw, Mmes. Quest, Crimp, Gilbert, Kibler, Boh, Melness, and Ulman — their first names lost (at least to general knowledge) to the patriarchy, as news reports often used their husband’s first names in lieu of theirs back then — started the Enumclaw Garden Club. Over a century, the club has grown to more than 100 members.

One of the club’s goals was to beautify Enumclaw, from planting cedar trees at J. J. Smith Elementary; hawthorn trees along Enumclaw streets; Lombardy Poplars at the First World War Memorial at City Park; and additional plantings at the King County fairgrounds, Garfield Park, Enumclaw High, and Southwood Elementary School.

The Garden Club is now also widely-known for its annual “Breakfast for the Birds” event every spring and the ever-popular Hat Parade, when attendees decorate ornate headpieces based on a new theme every year.

That tradition was started in 1964 by a group called the “Gay Bonnets”.

Another tradition the Garden Club had was using donating funds to purchase a garden book related to a recently-deceased member’s special interests; the book was marked as such with a memorial page in the front.

This tradition ended with the Enumclaw Library became part of the King County Library System in 1991, but many of the books can still be found in the garden section of the library.

And speaking of the library, you can see another Club beautification project right out front in the form of a dedicated bench and commemoration plaque.

Through its works, the Enumclaw Garden Club was the first garden club in Washington state to receive a Civic Achievement Award in 1937 (for what, club members aren’t sure); won a national award in 1952 (again, the reason lost to time); and won another national award from the National Garden Club for the club’s 1999 cookbook.

In more recent years, the Garden Club created the garden at the Foothills Trail Park in 2005; dedicated the pony statue at Dwight Garret Park in 2008; and completed the “Elk on the Trail” project along the Foothills Trail in 2019.