GardenWorks sponsors two major events each year and a training workshop for community garden leaders.

Community Garden Spring Resource Fair (March 29th, 2008)

Parade of Community Gardens (August 16th, 2008)

Growing Communities Workshop (not in 2008)

Community Garden Spring Resource Fair

Saturday March 29th, 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
First Christian Church, 2201 1st Ave S, Minneapolis
Metrowide event: free parking. $2 donation suggested at the door

Thank you to all who attended the Community Garden Spring Resource Fair on March 29th!!  Thank you to the First Christian Church in Minneapolis for hosting! 500 people attended the event. This was our largest event ever, in no small part due to our keynote speaker, Will Allen from Growing Power in Milwaukee, WI.  Listen to Will Allen on MN Public Radio.

Our DOT SURVEY revealed about 40% were community gardeners, and another 25% were interested in starting or joining a garden, and the rest came to learn more.  The dot survey showed that over 80% of the people there had learned of the Fair from email, listservs and friends…in other words from networking!  25% of folks came from the suburbs, greater Minnesota or further. That's wonderful!  And we are flattered and honored!   View out pictures of the event and our THANK YOU to our volunteers, presenters and contributors who made this event such a success!

Keynote speaker Will Allen, Executive Director, Growing Power Community Food Center - Milwaukee–2005 Leadership for a Changing World Award Recipient. Growing Power is a nationwide nonprofit organization and land trust supporting people from diverse backgrounds and the environments they live in through the development of Community Food Systems. Will Allen showed pictures and described how Growing Power is closing the loops, giving people access to grow their own food and that urban agriculture is a viable business, even in our northern climate.

Workshops

• Vermicomposting (Will Allen)
• Successful Event Fundraising that Builds Community (Michael Ziomko)
• Spirituality in the Garden (Jennifer Tacheny & Lisa Coons)
• Community Food Security (AfroEco with Will Allen)
• Beautification Gardens-Best Practices (Steph Hankerson)
• Theft & Vandalism-Useful Strategies (Kirsten Saylor) -- tipsheet available soon!

Interactive Displays and Booths – A variety of booths on gardening techniques, food security, vermiculture, and representatives from local gardening organizations including Master Gardeners and the Minnesota Food Association. Including...

• The Community Henhouse (Peat Willcut) – with real live chickens!
• Nutritious Meals from the Garden (Ross Safford)
• Kids’ Center with fun activities
• Live Music
• This was a Zero Waste Event with Eureka Recycling!
  

Growing Communities Workshop (not in 2008)

This two-day workshop by the American Community Garden Association (ACGA) is specifically designed for community gardeners to gain the organizing training needed for a fabulous and dynamic community garden.  Learn how not to do it all, but to grow leadership in your community garden and enjoy the indescribable rewards that come from a group working together. 

Parade of Community Gardens
August 16th, 2008
10:00am - 2:00pm

We are now signing gardens up for the Parade of Community Gardens to be held August 16th. It is a metro-wide community-building event where community gardens across the Twin Cities invite the neighborhood to learn more about their community garden.

Join other community gardens in providing visitors an opportunity to experience and learn what community gardens are all about! An added bonus is celebrating the garden with the other gardeners and having fun!

GardenWorks will advertise the event through our website and a printed brochure. We send out announcements of the event to the daily newspapers and numerous listservs.

We ask gardens to contact their local community newspaper and neighborhood organization to reach out to neighborhood residents. For more information attend one of the orientation workshops and read about tips for making the day a success!

How does the garden sign-up?

Simply send the following information to info@gardenworksMN.org by June 23rd!

* Garden Name, Street Address, and city

* Contact person's name, phone and email

We ask that every participating garden send someone to one of two orientations for the Parade.

Parade of Community Gardens Orientation Meetings
6:30pm - 7:30pm

June 16th
Powderhorn Park Recreation Center
Lakeside Room
3400 15th Ave S, Minneapolis
online map: http://www.eventective.com/provider/map.aspx?num=86027

June 25th
Merriam Park Library
Go downstairs to the meeting rooms. When you first come into the building, take a right to get to the stairs
1831 Marshall Ave, Saint Paul
online map and directions: http://www.sppl.org/locations/merriampark.html#directions

Please call or email Kirsten or Ila with questions!

Past Parades Look at press releases, resolutions, and garden descriptions, video, and the brochure -- our best "walk-around" directory of community gardens in the Twin Cities. Attend this year's Parade and plan to take yourself on a tour of the other gardens this summer!

You can see online video of some of the community gardens in Minneapolis that were on the Parade of Community Gardens online at: http://mtn.org/Video/community/mnn.html. Both 2006 and 2007 are available for viewing, just scroll to the bottom of this link and look for Segments #96 (2007) and #91 (2006).

Resolutions and Proclamations -- Minneapolis and St. Paul City Councils and the Minneapolis Mayor have recognized the value of community gardens to our neighborhoods