The Garden Club's award to a business for December goes to Grover T's Barbecue Restaurant on Highway 90 in Milton. The restaurant's new front porch features a hog wire fence and inviting rocking chairs for patrons to use while waiting to be seated.
The new owners are Mike Thomas and Bob Page. The restaurant was named after Mike's father Grover with the T standing for Thomas. They took over on August 28 of this year. The walls were painted and the floor was sanded and re-stained. Televisions were added in the river room, so named because Mike is a big advocate of canoeing and kayaking. Local artists work is on display throughout, with some of it being for sale. A mural and muck of the artwork was done by Donna Renee, who gave the pig inside a new look with a Floridian shirt done in a paper mache process. The kitchen as been updated with new equipment. Jewel Page, Bob's wife, is in charge of local store marketing. She said Plant it Green did the landscaping out front. There are two new palm trees, one on either end of the building, with azaleas, palmettos, and sea grass planted all along the front porch. Pine straw was used as mulch to keep the weeds down. Grover T's was completed and opened on October 28. Simon Courtney is the manager at Grover T's. Congratulations on your new business and for the landscaping. The Milton Garden Club applauds your efforts.
The Milton Garden Club's award to a homeowner in December goes to Joe and Emily Schulze of 6469 Berryhill Road in Milton. The Schulzes are actually renters. Their son-in-law and daughter, Gary and Ellen Otto of Chicago, bought the house in May as a future retirement home for themselves and are renting it to Joe and Emily because they knew the house would be extremely well taken care of. Joe and Emily moved in on June 1 of this year and have spent most of their efforts on the inside which was in terrible condition. Professional cleaners and painters had to be hired to make the place livable. The inside looks lovely now. The outside has been cleaned up and has hanging ferns on the porch and a Christmas swag on the front door. Along the front are creeping juniper, sago palms, and liriope. Even though Emily is waiting till spring to get out and start planting, they have made such a difference in their neighborhood that one man across the street was inspired to trim his bushes. The Garden Club says thank you to Joe and Emily for caring enough to change the look of your street for the better.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Milton Garden Club business and homeowner awards announced