After almost a decade of work by three women to rally support and raise funds for a marker showcasing the East Concord Gardening Club, the granite sign is up and welcoming drivers to the historic area.

Lucile Patten, Sue Hofmann and Mabel Wheeler have been friends for more than four decades after spending time together in the East Concord Gardening Club. Even now, several years after the club disbanded in 2019, they still keep in touch.

Patten, who turned 95 this summer, remembers the club fondly and the connections she made over the 60 years she participated in club activities.

“That’s how we became life-long friends,” she said, with Hofmann, 79, adding, “We’re still here!” referring to herself and Wheeler, who is 78.

Their group project now marks West Portsmouth Street from Concord into the roundabout off Exit 16 on I-93.

The project started in 2016, when Patten went to a meeting about the roundabout construction and expressed the club’s interest in sponsoring a monument to welcome residents and visitors.

Known for taking care of Pecker Park and surrounding green areas in East Concord, the city engineer at the time liked the idea, so Patten and Hofmann got to work.

Both of them looked into different options and design ideas. The city had already decided to use a block of granite from the historic Sewall’s Fall Bridge which was replaced in 2016, and to use bricks as a base to pay homage to the 19th century Mill Street and Potter Farm brick factories in East Concord.

The late Ann Hoaglund, a member of the garden club, designed the emblem.

Just as the club donated $1,500 to the marker and organized the creation and lettering of the granite with Perry Brothers Construction, things started to slow down.

The city was busy with other projects, while Patten became sick and Hofmann became bored by the whole process. Even though they started to lose momentum, Wheeler took over the project and brought it back to life.

For each interaction Wheeler noted, “I’m the the bad penny, and I keep showing up. You can’t get rid of me. … I want this done.”

With help from Martha Drukker, associate engineer for Concord, and Beth Fenstermacher, the city’s director of special projects and strategic initiatives, Wheeler figured out the necessary steps for planning, approval and placement of the marker. After years of work, the club’s dreams became a reality.

“It’s a relief,” Hofmann said.

All three feel proud of the marker and the East Concord Garden Club’s impact on the area.

“I’m pleased with how it came out. I’m pleased it’s done,” Wheeler said.

Patten remembers how the garden club gave the opportunity to make new friends and to get out of the house.

“I was home with two little kids. It was a delight to get out in the evening, to be with adults and get a break,” she said.

Hofmann recalls her mother doing the same when growing up. Hofmann’s grandmother was one of the founders in 1935.

“When I started joining, people — women and men — had gardens, and they would dig up something and give it to their friend. So you built your gardens from what your friends had,” Hofmann said.

The three women are sad the club does not exist anymore but are happy with the lasting friendships and impact on East Concord, the village they call home.

Kiera McLaughlin can be reached at kmclaughlin@cmonitor.com