Wednesday, February 7, 2024
‘Oklahoma Gardening’ plants seeds of excitement in new season Trisha Gedon OSU News
Snow and ice gripped much of Oklahoma for several days in January, but never fear, gardening season is near. The crew at “Oklahoma Gardening” is busy preparing for the new season that will begin Feb. 10. Casey Hentges, Oklahoma State University Extension associate specialist and host of the popular gardening show, said part of this season will focus on how gardening helps create a healthy lifestyle. “Gardening is a great way to improve overall physical and mental health,” she said. “It can be as relaxed or as vigorous as you want it to be.” Gardening is a good musclestrengthening activity and one of the physical activities with the lowest injury rates. The show will feature information on physical activity in the garden, nutrition, mental health and the importance of staying hydrated. Special cooking segments will feature healthy recipes using fresh ingredients from the garden. Also on tap for the season will be a series of videos highlighting the service the Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center on the
Mitchell Alcala Host, Casey Hentge, poses for photos as the 2024 season of Oklahoma Gardening begins filming at Oklahoma State University Botanical Garden in Stillwater on Friday, Feb. 2, 2024.
OSU campus offers to Oklahomans. Hentges said she will work with FAPC specialists to take basil from the garden and turn it into a marketable dry herb product.
“Native plants are growing in popularity, and I’ll showcase a variety of them,” she said. “Topics related to growing native plants will include renovating a traditional landscape to a
native landscape, as well as native plant maintenance, where to purchase native plants and what a native garden looks like throughout the different seasons.” See Gardening on 7
Construction has begun on OSU Alumni Center steps Courtesy of OSU News Construction for replacing the steps at the west entrance to the ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center on Hester Street began at 8 a.m. today and will run through Sunday, Feb. 11. The ADA crosswalk will be redirected to go south by the Student Union garage driveway. news.ed@ocolly.com
BRYSON THADHANI Brady Moore, deputy city manager for Stillwater, said Block 34 will be bigger than the Guthrie Green in Tulsa.
Block 34 breaks ground, new community center on its way Kennedy Thomason News & Lifestyle Editor
community center foundation chairman and chair of the Block 34 architecture and development committee, said the project will help Stillwater as it continues to develop. “We will now have an unbelievable machine in the Block 34 is underway. middle of town to spawn ecoOn Tuesday, the City of nomic development,” Beckstrom Stillwater broke ground on Block 34, which will be a com- said. “We’re already seeing munity space featuring a music things build up around the stage, a 4,000 square foot pavil- block. It’s really exciting to see ion, a musician’s walk to honor how this is gonna go.” Beckstrom said versions dead musicians, a water feature of Block 34 have been in the and a play area for children. Jim Beckstrom, Stillwater works for decades, but the latest
attempt started in 2017. Addressing the small crowd that gathered at 2 p.m., Mayor Will Joyce said he is grateful for the donors and people who have worked on the project to develop Stillwater’s community. “I think it would be an understatement to say that this day has been a long time in coming,” Joyce said. Architects, politicians, local officials and community members attended to see the long-discussed plans finally take action. See Block 34 on 6
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