Photo Albums

Students, faculty, staff and members of the Crawfordsville community celebrated Earth Day 2010 with the groundbreaking (literally) of the new Wabash Community Garden. The organic garden—a collaboration between the College's Environmental Concerns Committee, Students for Sustainability, and Bon Appetit food service—will grow produce for the student dining hall and for donations to local food pantries. 
Photos by Steve Charles

Who knew sod could be so heavy? Laney Rogers and Betsy Swift and their fellow Girl Scouts of Troop 50218 showed up right on time to help break up the sod and carry to the composting pile. Members of the troop have also volunteered to help weed and care for the garden.

Wabash Archivist (and co-leader of Troop 50218, along with Chris Amidon) helps clear space for the new garden with her daughter, Betsy. The groundbreaking brought students, faculty, and staff to work alongside members of the Crawfordsville community, Bon Appetit food service, the Environmental Concerns Committee, the Friends of Sugar Creek, and the Students for Sustainability.
 
 

Professor and Environmental Concerns Committee Member Marc Hudson read the poetry of Alexander Pope and William Carlos Williams at the ribbon cutting ceremony. "We started talking about a community garden last year, the conversation grew, and finally this year we had the energy and the will to make it happen," Hudson said. He also credited Bon Appetit Manager Mary Jo Arthur's enthusiasma as being an impetus for getting the garden started this year.   

Sammie Amidon carries a heavy load of sod to the composting pile.
"We have been wanting to make a community garden for two years," Sammie said. "Now we finally have the chance to have one." Thursday afternoon, Troop 50218 earned that chance.

Grahm Johnson ’10 heard about the project and stopped by to lend a hand. Johnson and the Girl Scouts, led by event organizer Adam Cooper ’12, did the heavy lifting for the first half of the ground breaking.  

Johnson and his Community Garden co-workers Laney Rogers, Betsy Swift, and Dione Morillo. 

Event organizer and Environmental Concerns Committee member Adam Cooper ’12 ran the sodbusting machine for an hour and a half to clear grass for the garden.  

Graham Johnson ’10 

Mark McClure did his share of carrying sod, here helping his daughter, Kenley, who with her sister, Hope, is a member of Troop 50218. 

Seth Bawel ’12 (pictured) and Shane Evans ’12 showed up just in time to help finish the work. Bawel, from Booneville, IN, spent many hours of his childhood on his grandfather's farm. 

Supporters gathered around a sign (made by Matt Levendoski ’12) announcing the new Wabash Community Garden as Professor and Environmental Concerns Committee Member Doug Calisch cuts the ribbon, marking the official beginning of the collaboration. Adam Cooper ’12, Professor Marc Hudson, Bon Appetit Chef Jordan Hall, Students for Sustainability Member Michael Jon Mondovics ’13, Professor Eric Olofson and his family, Mary Jo Arthur, and Levendoski cheered the moment.