St. Eustace Episcopal Church will hold its annual garden service at 10 a.m. Sunday, July 14, weather permitting. The service, conducted by the Rev. Ken Hitch, will be held at the original site of St. Eustace Episcopal church on Victor Herbert Road. Music will be provided by Paul Buell and his brass quartet from the Norwood area.

This will be the 25th year a summer service has been scheduled there, perhaps with a rain cancellation or two during that time period.

St. Eustace was originally built at that location in 1899 and was the summer Episcopal church until the early 1920s. The winter church was located on Sentinel Road. In 1927, the summer church was dismantled, the windows were removed and boards were numbered and kept in order so it could be rebuilt correctly in its current location on Main Street, across from Mid’s Park. The placement of the steeple moved from the right side of the church to the left when reconstructed.

Ruth Hart created the beautiful garden inside and around the foundation of the church over more than 40 years. In 2023, Mrs. Hart received the Preservation Award for Community Revitalization and Stewardship from Adirondack Architectural Heritage for the church garden. She is quoted as saying it was one of the biggest highlights of her life.

In 2002, the Smithsonian Institution awarded a Certificate of Appreciation to Ruth and George Hart “for generously allowing your garden to be included in the Archives of American Gardens, Horticulture Services Division” and was photographed and recorded by volunteers as part of the Garden Club of America Collection.

The service is open to the public, and all are invited.

We lost Ruth this year on April 25, just shy of her 105th birthday. The Lake Placid News had covered her most recent birthdays, especially her 100th in 2019 at the Crowne Plaza, which was a memorable party for all who attended. We had also visited her at home for other stories and spent a little time in the church garden. What a wonderful, peaceful garden. Even if you don’t go to church regularly, this spot is a spiritual oasis thanks to Ruth and her family. It’s worth a visit this Sunday.

(Editor’s note: Nancy Beattie, one of Ruth Hart’s daughters, provided most of the text for this editorial, which we ran last week as a press release. We’ve added the encouragement to attend.)