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FKCOG Groundbreaking Day Anniversary
Event Place: Kenney Cottage Community Garden
1631 Fifth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
Event Date: Sunday, October 31, 2010
Event Time: 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
GOING GREEN…GOING ACCESSIBLE :
WEST BERKELEY’S NEW INNOVATIVE COMMUNITY GARDEN
This Halloween the Friends of Kenney Cottage Community Garden (FKCOG) is
celebrating its 1 year anniversary. It was October 31st of last year since the garden
opened its door to the public. It is the future home of the historical Kenney Cottage,
which presently sits on 1275 University Avenue. The FKCOG Groundbreaking Day
Anniversary will raise awareness of the garden project and the relocation and
restoration of the 19th century prefabricated panel house, which is one of Berkeley’s
landmarks preserved by Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association (BAHA).
To celebrate there will be a dance performance by Rodrigo Esteva, a Capoeira
presentation by Brincadera VivaAcademy and live music from
Lisa Graciano and the Gracenotes with 60’s counterculture legend Will Scarlett
on mouth harp. Organic snacks will be provided by Berkeley’s Kitchen and
members of FKCOG board of directors which includes Beebo Turman who is also
Ecology Center’s Project Director for the Berkeley Community Gardening
Collaborative and helped start the Edible Schoolyard with Alice Waters.
The event program will also include a tour of the garden with FKCOG President
Gary Cromp and Vice President Kevin Gilmore as guides, Halloween fun for the
kids and harvesting of the produce. Councilmen Kriss Worthington and Jesse
Arreguin will come to show their support on top of the new revolutionary accessible
platform with 2 plot beds in table form that will be ready for the grand opening.
They will be accompanied by members of the disabled community led by FKCOG
ADA coordinator Shira Leeder.
The once empty site is a City of Berkeley property that could have been turned into
just another office building area. But several local residents advocated to turn the site
into a community garden. FKCOG was formed to oversee the garden with the hope of
restoring the local ecosystem by providing garden beds for families to grow their own
food, including accessible beds for the disabled and giving free, organic produce to the
low-income and homeless. The relocation of the Kenney Cottage to the site is a facet
of the project that will turn the historical house into a usable public space thereby
enriching the cultural and educational experience of the people of Berkeley. Growing
the lush fruits, vegetables, and flowers in the garden is one of the ways to combat
pollution in the neighborhood. Crops at the site include pumpkins, zucchinis,
heirloom tomatoes, onions, peas, strawberries, basil, lettuce, garlic, cilantro, leeks,
cucumbers, and spinach. Seeds are being harvested and saved for future planting seasons.
Over the past year the garden has gone from a vacant lot to a sustainable garden
featuring 9 raised beds, 2 wheelchair accessible plots, a nursery, a pumpkin patch,
experimental community plots, and a relaxation area. A large emphasis has been placed
on making the garden sustainable; a water catchment system catches rainwater and is
pumped into a cistern array on site. Neighboring businesses such as
Environmental Concepts, Ashby Lumber, Bette’s Oceanview Diner, Café Rouge
and Cliff Bar have made generous donations to the project.
For information: http://www.fkcog.org
http://berkeleyheritage.com/berkeley_landmarks/kenney_cottage.html
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