Community Garden gets additional plots

BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

e Buchanan Park Community Garden has increased in size thanks to a collaboration between the Evergreen Park & Recreation District and the Evergreen Sustainability Alliance.

Last month, 12 raised beds and two ground beds were added to the garden, raising the total to 58 plots.

e additional plots mean the waiting list has decreased, according to Linda Jacobson, a member of the garden’s steering committee.

Gold Sponsors

In October, the alliance came to the rec district board, asking to increase the garden’s size, and the rec district put $10,000 into the 2023 budget to pay for the plots. e alliance put in about $3,000.

e Buchanan Park garden was established in 2013 with the help of a Great Outdoor Colorado grant. e garden now has a 41-person waiting list, Jacobson said, lower than it has been in the past.

Turnover at the garden tends to be slow with people waiting two to ve years to get a plot. People who have plots keep them until they no longer want them. ESA charges gardeners $50 for a half plot and $90 for a full plot per year.

rec district provided construction, labor and equipment, while ESA provided consulting on the design and construction speci cations, plus volunteers to help. ESA continues to manage all aspects of the garden operation.

e rec district paid for the supplies while EPRD board member Peter Eggers and his company donated the labor to build the garden beds, and he was impressed with ESA’s 30 volunteers who helped put the beds together; the work took a morning rather than an entire weekend he was expecting.

“It was a plus-plus-plus all the way around,” Eggers said. “ is is the kind of thing I love to do. It’s just what we need to get some good momentum going for the garden.”

Ginny Ades, an Evergreen Sustainability Alliance board member, said the organization’s reasons for developing the gardens are twofold: ey allow people to garden without the challenge of wildlife interference because each garden is fenced to keep critters out, and ESA teaches about organic gardening and healthy eating.

For a full list of sponsors including our Silver and Bronze sponsors, please visit our website: www.FreedomRunRace.org ere is a small or no waitlist at the alliance’s Bu alo Park Community Garden in front of Wilmot Elementary School.

To create the additional plots, the

Jacobson added that gardening became more popular during the pandemic because people could get outside and do something purposeful, Jacobson said.

“ ere’s a sheer joy going from seed to plant to edible,” Jacobson said. “I know it sounds dorky, but it’s true.”

We’d like to know about events or activities of interest to the community. Visit www.canyoncourier.com/ calendar/ and post your event online for free. Email dbrobst@coloradocommunitymedia.com to get items in the print version of the paper. Items will appear in print on a space-available basis. FRIDAY

ECO’s Jazz Gala 2023: Evergreen Chamber Orchestra’s Jazz Gala 2023 will be June 23 at Mount Vernon Canyon Club. e gala will feature two parts: from 6-7:30 p.m., celebrate a successful 2022-23 season with hors d’oeuvres and a silent auction, while Bill Hill and Friends perform a light swing/jazz set. en, from 7:30-9 p.m., Bill Hill and Friends will perform an avant-garde jazz-fusion set. For more information and tickets, visit evergreenchamberorch.org/event/eco-jazzgala-2023.

SATURDAY

Bailey Day: Bailey Day will be from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. June 24 in downtown Bailey. Bands, food, vendor booths, kids activities and more highlight the street festival.

Spring Clean Recycle Day: Evergreen Sustainability Alliance’s Spring Clean Recycle Day will be from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. June 24 at Evergreen Lutheran Church, 5980

Highway 73. It is collecting all types of electronics and small appliances, block Styrofoam, paint, glass, batteries, old pens/markers, toothpaste tubes and toothbrushes, Christmas tins, TV dishes with cables and clothes. Recommended donation for a collection of recyclables is $20. If you have a carload, ESA would appreciate a larger donation to cover its costs. TVs are an additional $25 fee each that will be collected at time of drop-o .

Good ings Come to ose Who Hike: Merrell is hosting Good ings Come to ose Who Hike from 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Saturday, June 24, at Echo Mountain in Idaho Springs. Take hikes and participate in other outdoor activities such as trail run time trials, yoga, forest bathing, outdoor painting classes, classes on packing/prep for hikes, wilderness survival and bird watching. e event will cost $10, which will go to the nonpro t sponsor Leave No Trace. Register at www.eventbrite. com/e/good-things-come-to-thosewho-hike-tickets-634920021877.

Baritone Steven Taylor performance: Baritone Steven Taylor will perform at 7:30 p.m. June 24 as part of Ovation West’s Shining Stars at Center Stage. Tickets are $28 for adults, $24 for seniors and $18 for students, and are available at ovationwest.org.

Cars and Co ee: Cars and Coffee, a show for car enthusiasts, will be from 9 a.m.-noon Saturdays until Aug. 26 in front of Olde’s Garage on Evergreen Parkway. ere’s no registration fee. Bring your classic car or stop in to check out the vehicles. Free co ee and doughnuts. Donations bene t Mount Evans Hospice.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY

Evergreen Mountain Art Celebration: e Evergreen Mountain Art Celebration will be from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. June 24-25 at Evergreen North between the post o ce and Bank of the West. More than 60 artists will display their work. For more information, visit evergreenartsshow. com.

SUNDAY

Celebration of Marilyn Rhodes: Neighbors and friends are invited to celebrate Marilyn Rhodes at 9 a.m. Sunday, June 25, at the Genesee Mountain Shelter in Genesee Mountain Park when a bird walk in the park with Sheridan Samano will begin. Eulogies and recol- lections will start at 11 a.m. followed by a potluck lunch at noon. A music and storytelling session at 1 p.m. is planned. Organizers ask that friends bring a main dish, salad or dessert to share plus tableware and beverages. It’s advised to bring your own picnic chair. No glass or hard liquor is allowed in the park. To reach the shelter, take Exit 254 o Interstate 70. Turn right at the south end of the bridge and follow the paved road to the end. Carpooling is advised. For more information, contact Linda at ljrock_will@msn.com.

“Spirited Flight”: Shadow Mountain Gallery in downtown Evergreen next to Java Groove will host “Spirited Flight” with ight-related art from June 25to Aug. 12. e show

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