Coca-Cola Comes Through

On Wednesday, May 26th, volunteers from the Outlet Presentation Excellence Group of the Coca-Cola Company came and showed the farm some love.  Thanks to Jacqueline Hines for coordinating such a fun and caring group of people.  They worked all over the farm in what ended up being a lovely, sunny day.  One group hoed the tomato patch while another group raked and leveled what will soon become our cucumber, squash, strawberry and herb patches.  (We even started our composting stack near one of the giant oak trees on the property.)  Our third group of volunteers probably had the most exciting day.  As they were clearing some of the brush and pruning the trees and bushes along Church Street, a baby bird fell out of its nest.  No worries! A rescue team was quickly assembled (complete with gloves and a McGuyvered temporary housing shelter) to get Operation Baby Bird back home to Momma. Awww!

After a tasty meal from Panera Bread delivery, we waved goodbye to our new friends from Coca-Cola OPE!

Thanks guys!!!  (P.S. I really love my T-Shirt.  Next time, I’ll have to get you guys to sign it.)

I Met Her . . .Mrs. Hearns (not her married name)

So much to catch up on from this past week.  First, I’m very proud to say, I finally met Ms. Hearns (maiden name).  She just turned 96 this past May 11th.  Her and her family used to live in the house!  She got married in the home when she was 16 years old and remembers having horses, cows, chickens, dogs and goats at the farm.  When I asked her if she’d like to take a tour of the property, she paused for a minute, blinked a couple of times and said, “Well, I suppose I could go a take a look around. I haven’t been in that place in years.”  She’s the oldest of three or four siblings and her son comes and checks on her everyday.  He helps her maintain a couple of properties she own on Vesta.  She lives adjacent to the big house and has lived in College Park for over 70 years.   

 Do you hear “documentary”?!?!?!  I do.   She said she has stacks and stacks of boxes of photos, but waved away the thought of having to go through all of them.  So, if there are any history buffs out there that want to help me get this project off the ground and help preserve Ms. Hearns stacks of photos, give me a call.  We need to come up with a preservation plan pronto!

FYI – Ms. Hearns was out mowing her lawn when I spotted her.   Hopefully I can get some photos of her later on this week.

Urban Agriculture Lands In College Park

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So, after what seems to have been a long, long journey, the owners finally closed on the property located at 3271 Main Street, College  Park, GA (March 23, 2010).  Talk about stoked!   

 The owners wish to preserve the beauty of the 100 year old Victorian home (blt 1880) located on the property along with the original caretakers house, barn and what looks to be a well structure on the grouds.  They also intend to convert the property back to its original state as a farm and use it as a teaching model and tourist attraction for urban agriculture and green sustainability practices. 

As you can see, a whole lot of work needs to be done to get this project up and going so, we’re starting this blog to keep you up to speed with our progress.  So if you’re into historic preservation projects from the Victorian era, gardening, farming and anything related to science, technology, engineering and math….boy are you in the right place!

My hope is that, somewhere along the way, you’ll be inspired to join us.  Your support through community service in the spirit of good old fashion volunteerism is not only needed, but would mean a great deal to those who are interested in leaving their mark on what will soon become another historic moment in College Park.