This coming Saturday, May 22, residents of the Town of Liberty will meet at the empty lot next to the bus depot on South Main Street to discuss plans for a Community Garden to be located there this year.
It is hoped that all members of the community will want to join in on this grand adventure not only to add a patch of green to an otherwise neglected spot, but to join their friends and neighbors alike in embarking upon a more sustainable plan for living lightly on planet earth.
It’s easy enough to say turn off the lights when you leave a room, carpool to work, school or the store or as they said in the seventies, “save water – shower with a friend.” These are all worthwhile things to do, but many times they are solitary tasks, at the most accomplished with two or three others. A community garden is different.
A community garden doesn’t just save money and energy it can provide food, beauty, a sense of wonder and planting and harvesting stories to share for years to come. But most of all it can serve to connect a community. Older folks can share their gardening expertise with those younger. Younger folks can help with the heavier labor that is hard for elders. And children can learn what it means to live, work, and even be on a par with their elders.
Community gardens bring life! Here’s a cheer to the residents of the Town of Liberty, long life to their garden, long life to each of them.
The following was taken from the website of the Catskill Community Garden. It is the hope of this editor that the residents of Liberty will be sure to include children of all ages in their community garden plans.
The Children’s Garden
All children of all ages are welcome to participate in this program. We have been meeting on Mondays and Wednesday from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. at the Community Garden (located directly behind the Senior Center). The program has included planning the garden, planting, keeping a garden journal, weeding, watering, and painting a mural on the community garden shed.
The Workshops will end on Wednesday October 14, 2009. A Fall Harvest Festival is planned for Sunday October 18, 2009 from 1:00-3:00pm at the Community Garden. In case of inclement weather, the luncheon will be held inside the Senior Center (Thompson Street, Catskill).
The program will resume in Spring 2010. Stay tuned for more details.
Special thanks to the Catskill Town and Village, the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Greene County, the Washington Irving Senior Center, Story Farms, Catskill Farmer’s Market, Bell’s Cafe, Wolfgang B. Gourment Foods and the Watershed Agricultural Council, and Pure Catskills all of whom are working together to create a positive environment for our community’s children!
*The Catskill Community Center is located at 344 Main Street in Catskill, NY.
