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Oroville honors garden club, theater guild and historic restorations at awards ceremony
Summary
The City of Oroville presented civic awards April 29, 2025, honoring the Lake Oroville Area Garden Club, the Theater Arts Guild and several historic‑preservation projects including the Washington Block, Huntington House and the Clark Building.
At a special Oroville City Council event on April 29, 2025, the city presented multiple community awards recognizing volunteerism, arts programming and historic preservation.
The Samuel J. Norris award for excellence went to the Lake Oroville Area Garden Club. Club representatives Galen Grama and Linda Auslin described the club’s history, downtown planter work, a school‑garden partnership and a scholarship for horticulture students at "Dubuque College." “The city of Oroville has been so good to us in letting us start different projects,” Grama said.
The Oroville Arts Commission presented its Voice for the Arts awards to the Theater Arts Guild (organization) and to individual recipient David Tomori. The commission highlighted the theater’s role in hosting performances and youth music events that bring elementary and junior high students to the venue.
The Oroville Historic Preservation Awards recognized multiple restored properties. Daniel Ballard presented a history of the Washington Block, completed in 1856 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places; owners Laurie and Sean Pierce accepted the award. Other recipients included the Huntington House (Craftsman home, constructed circa 1910) and the Clark Building (rebuilt in fireproof brick in 1856). Presenters noted careful restoration of original hardware, mantels and inlay floors and committed owners — cited by the city as contributing to downtown economic development.
Mayor Pittman and Council members urged residents to support volunteer organizations highlighted at the ceremony; the mayor also recognized local service clubs — Kiwanis, Rotary, Exchange Club, American Legion Post 95 and others — for ongoing civic projects such as downtown beautification, youth programs and veterans’ memorial support.
What was said: presenters repeatedly framed the awards as recognition for volunteers and property owners who invest time and money to preserve Oroville’s character. The historic‑preservation committee announced an October 11, 2025, recipients’ tour; details will be released later.
Attributions: quotes and remarks above come from award presenters and recipients recorded in the April 29, 2025, special council meeting.
