It’s Magic
How to escape the negative political atmosphere? The feeling that the town is seriously off track? Petitions to stop the inappropriate art structure from being built at the Village Entrance are a way not only to protest that specific impact on a long-awaited park and path, but an outlet, a way to say, “No, we won’t take it anymore!” about so much that is happening in our town and beyond.
Petitions and organizing for petitions are a great start, but it takes more than petitions to move the mountains of uninspired and poor decisions that stack up week after week, to change the systems that so frustrate us, to create a more sympathetic, harmonious and humane world.
It takes action in the real world, accomplishments that can be grasped and seen. We have a little trial patch in South Laguna, our garden. Miraculously in 2009 forces aligned—a property owner agreed to let us build a garden on his vacant lot. Neighbors, inspired by a former garden that had to close, tasted the benefits a community garden could offer. The economic downturn meant that not only were people inspired to grow food for themselves, but they had time to work as volunteers. Their normal jobs had diminished or disappeared. It’s hard to remember how desperate things seemed then.
Step by step we built something out of nearly nothing. How do we organize it? A rules committee wrote. How do we start? We did a plan, it was approved. The city waived permit fees. A poster went up announcing we would be clearing the lot of weeds—Aug. 15, 2009. A crowd showed up with tools—many people who had never met before. A water system was donated. A family in North Laguna gave an antique shed that we moved across town on the platform of a tow truck. Every Saturday for weeks we graded the lot, installed planter boxes and filled them with soil. “They want to plant,” Ruben Flores said. He did a demonstration and the first radish seeds went into the ground. By Dec. 6, 2009, the first 30 boxes had been planted, fences and gates were installed and we had our grand opening.
It was an amazing accomplishment and there was a tremendous feeling of camaraderie among all the gardeners and supportive community around us. We felt empowered—we could join together with our new friends and do something positive, something we could feel, touch and watch grow more beautiful every day.
As years passed, we expanded the garden to the lower part of the property, added benches, and a stage. A Garden Band coalesced when talented gardeners found they loved to make music together. Community potlucks, holiday sing-a-longs and garden-related classes involved the community at large. It became a garden park that welcomed passers-by to stroll through and picnickers to enjoy their lunches with a view over the vegetables and flowers.
As new gardeners came and the original gardeners moved on, fewer and fewer survivors of the garden installation process remained. We found we could never seem to convey that wonderful warm closeness and feeling of accomplishment that came with the creation of the garden. The reason for new gardeners to get to know each other was missing.
Then we realized we had had the garden for 10 years. It was time to celebrate. We were still working hard on our dream—to be able to acquire the property and assure a permanent garden park. We planned an elaborate event, a sit-down farm-to-table dinner—we wanted to provide an experience of being in the garden for those who perhaps had only driven past.
It seemed creating this special event was almost as hard as building the garden in the first place—and it required a cast of devoted workers to pull it off—food, lighting, permits, music, decorations, planting, pruning, weeding, invitations, auction items from generous donors. Meetings and work days, week after week. It will be coming together Saturday, Sept. 28,at 5 p.m. Not only did the event come together, but we did, too. We are special close friends again–like magic.
We welcome you take part in that magic. Go to SouthLaguna.org/garden/event. Welcome to our circle rippling outward.
Ann Christoph is a landscape architect and former mayor and member of the City Council.
