Growing the garden
<p>Jim Slavin, a garden owner and last year’s award winner for most improved garden, lays hay between the garden plots at the Shared Harvest Community Garden Sunday in preparation for the Dinner Under the Stars next weekend.</p>
The Shared Harvest Community Garden had a summer cleaning day Sunday, in preparation for its annual Night Under the Stars fundraiser Saturday, Aug. 20.
Many garden members set to work Sunday morning, adding bark chips and hay to the paths between the garden plots, trimming the edges of the grass and pulling weeds.
The garden, which has been running for eight years, has 60 plots leased by community members. Every Wednesday from July to October, garden members donate extra produce they have grown to 15 different local food assistance facilities. Others join them and donate from their personal gardens.
“Our mission is to not only share produce, but to grow, learn and give, too,” said the founder and coordinator of the Shared Harvest Community Garden, Kim Normand. “The most important part of the garden is the community, people come tend their plots, eat lunch and bring their families and friends here to show them what they’ve grown.”
Normand invites anyone and everyone to wander the gardens and enjoy the place, but requests that people don’t pick anything.
Jim Slavin, a garden owner, started his garden last year and loves the calm aspect of it.
“I’m here because of the community,” he said, noting that he has attended several weddings at the garden. “My life is really competitive with real estate and athletics and this is a sharp contrast with its peacefulness.”
Slavin joined other garden owners in spiffing up the place Sunday morning for the garden’s annual fundraiser.
Dinner Under the Stars raises money to help pay the lease for the property, water bills and other necessities.
“Volunteers are the most important commodity,” Normand said. “They come in different shapes and sizes: some offer physical help, some offer money.”
The dinner will be catered by the local Cafe Carambola and will be friendly to vegetarians and meat eaters alike.
There will be live music and a silent auction where attendees can bid on more than 40 items or packages including local artwork, jewelry, gift baskets, dinners to local restaurants and a float trip from ROW Adventures.
To make it a truly magical night, lights will be strung across the big oak trees that shade the garden green.
The silent auction will start at 6 p.m. and dinner will be served at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $25 and are still available at the Art Spirit Gallery, JUNK on 4th Street and through Kootenai Environmental Alliance at kea@kealliance.org.