The Newkirk Red Rose Garden Club was organized on May 21, 1951, with nineteen charter members and became a member of the National, State and Northwest District Councils of Garden Clubs. Its purpose was to promote the study of soil conservation, natural resources, birds and plants, engage in civic projects, and encourage citizens to beautify yards and improve Newkirk parks. Since its founding, the club sponsored a variety of civic projects, maintained the Memorial Garden at the cemetery, and in 1979 began the Memory Lane tree planting project there. During Newkirk's Centennial in 1993, it contributed money to the Save Our Buildings project, the installation of lights on Maple Boulevard, and the base of the “Land of Hope” statue. Each year it sponsored a school poster contest on “Litter Control, Conservation and Pollution,” donated to the school science department so a student could attend “Space Camp,” provided birthday corsages, boutonnieres, and Christmas gifts to residents of the Newkirk Nursing Center, and since 1984 helped create and improve the flower beds at the City Building, where shrubs were added in 1994 to coordinate with the Main Street Pocket Parks. The club held that the city was the responsibility of all residents and that its appearance reflected the standards of those who lived there, and it hoped its efforts would strengthen civic pride and help make Newkirk a Garden Club City.