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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 9, 2022)
4 Wednesday, February 9, 2022 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Sisters Community Garden seeks new manager, new members By T. Lee Brown Correspondent It9s that time of year again. Crusts of half-melted, iced- over snow dot the winter earth. Shafts of cold, slanted sunlight glance off withered grasses and amber pine nee- dles. Just the time to think of bright garden veggies and bursts of colorful flowers. Summer may seem far away, but gardening prepara- tions start soon. For Sisters Community Garden, that means it9s membership sea- son: time to round up last season9s members, to see if they9d like to keep their gar- den plots near the airport for another year. After that, it9s open season. Anyone in Sisters can apply for their own plot of soil in a raised bed. This year, the garden is also looking for a new manager. The garden contains 49 raised beds of differing sizes. <We have one that9s dedi- cated for community flowers. Another one is milkweed to attract monarch butterflies,= said current manager Bob Lawton. Members pay $20335 per year, depending on the size of their plot. <For that they get dirt and a bed, a plot. They get water at the plot in a spigot. We provide a pile of soil amendments and horse manure and that kind of stuff,= Lawton said. <It9s a pretty good deal,= he said. <We have a green- house, too.= A resident obtain- ing such infrastructure, soil, and amendments on their own would likely spend far more getting set up. Several schol- arships are available for those who cannot afford the annual fee. The organization9s goal is to establish <a beauti- ful garden that fosters com- munity connections among Sisters, Oregon area resi- dents.= Additionally, the gar- den serves as <a gathering place for a mosaic of people, a venue for education, a farm- to-table resource for local food banks, and an oppor- tunity to realize the benefits and pleasure derived from gardening.= The volunteer position of garden manager involves leadership and hands-on work including repair. <There9s some weed-whacking that needs to be done,= said Lawton. A berm to protect the garden from wind also requires some work. As for urgent, last-minute help the manager provides? <It9s usually a leaky faucet,= said Lawton, <Or someone calls up saying, 8Critters are coming in and eating my lettuce.9= <The garden manager PHOTO BY TL BROWN takes care of the operations,= he explained. <We also have a social director, who9s in charge of organizing the music and the lunch in the garden.= <The garden9s original purpose here in Sisters was a place where people could come together and get to know one another,= Lawton said. <The other thing we try to do is give back to the community. For the last eight years, in August on an eve- ning, we hire a band, people can bring their dinner, we pro- vide beverages, potluck... In the twilight, people can listen to the music.= Music in the Garden has always been fun, according to Lawton. Musicians have included <Anvil Blasters, Benji Nagel, many of the local bands. Last year we had an Irish group from all over [Central Oregon].= Sisters Community Garden also collaborates with Sisters Garden Club and Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show on an annual lunch fundraiser. Vast Church is allocated a raised bed where vegetables are raised to feed single mothers and their children. Additionally, the gar- den works with Sisters High School9s Life Skills program. <Students come out to the community garden once a week, and have different tasks depending on their interests and abilities,= Lawton said. They plant trees, spread wood chips, plant, and harvest. <We9ve really tried to have it be a community garden, not just a garden where people try to grow some turnips.= The garden hosts three or four work parties a year. <We ask all the gardeners to come out and do things for the greater good; someone needs to organize that, and look after the garden tools. The manager does all that with a lot of help from the gardeners,= Lawton said. Lawton and his predeces- sor, Marvin Benson, worked hard in the manager role, tak- ing on new projects and put- ting in many hours. Lawton said the manager role might be broken into several pieces, so that more than one person could share responsibilities. Lawton has no plans to exit the garden completely. <As long as we9re in Sisters I9ll probably still be involved,= he said. <I felt it was time to pass the torch. I9m getting older and I tore my Achilles [tendon] this year. I9m reading what my body is telling me.= Sisters Community Garden is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit orga- nization. The board of direc- tors consists of Lawton together with Penny Elson, Nancy Bright, Diane Mattson, Karen Lord, Mimi Shaefer, Darlene McGrady, and Chloé Lepeltier. For more infor- mation, visit www.sisters communitygarden.org. Family-friendly indoor/outdoor dining, party room Comfort food with flare! Gluten-free options too. View music & events, order take-out & delivery online at SistersDepot.com 250 W. Cascade Ave. 541-904-4660 Open 7 days a week! Sun-Tues 11÷÷-3ö÷, Wed-Sat 11÷÷-9ö÷ NEW DELIVERY SERVICE: Wed-Sat 4:30-8:30ö÷ ($30 min.) Bring your equipment in now for pre-season tune-ups and servicing! Mowers • Lawn Tractors • Blowers Trimmers • Chainsaws & More! 541-549-9631 WBarclayDrSisters Mon-Fri: 7 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sat: 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. www.sistersrental.com Happy 80 th Birthday, John & Kathy!! Dozens of people enjoyed last summer’s music presentation at Sisters Community Garden. We love you so much! — Kevin, Eden, Lexie, Michaela, and Nathan