NEWS RELEASE
HIGH STREET COMMUNITY GARDEN COLLECTIVE
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Community gardening has made a comeback since the start of the pandemic, and a local group is excited to celebrate new garden infrastructure funded by the City of Orillia.
After two summers of hard work, the High Street Community Garden is ready to share its harvests and showcase six new garden plots.
Established in 2010, the once-popular High Street Community Garden had fallen into disuse after almost a decade in operation. Although a few gardeners were still using the site behind Brian Orser Arena in 2019, it was largely neglected and overgrown. As a result, the city and community members were unsure the garden would ever return to its former glory: providing nutritious food to residents, local food banks, as well as fostering a socially engaged community.
With food security a growing concern in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Orillians began looking to improve their food access. A new group of citizens came together to breathe life back into High Street Garden, cleaning up the site and returning it to a place of abundance.
The City of Orillia aided in this transformation by installing six allotment beds in 2020, allowing community members to reserve a space to grow vegetables for their households. The rest of the garden remains available for the public to drop in and share in the harvest.
This year, engagement in the garden has increased even more. Local residents have come to the site throughout the 2021 season to plant, grow, and harvest food together. Recognizing the growing momentum behind the garden, the City of Orillia has committed to installing six new beds in September to be ready for planting in spring 2022.
The High Street Community Garden Collective is holding a Harvest Celebration to showcase their successes and highlight this positive outcome of the pandemic. The group invites the public to come learn more about gardening opportunities and get inspired by what a small group of citizens can do to improve their community!
- Sept. 25, 2021, 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
- High Street Community Garden: 433 Gill Street in Orillia, behind Brian Orser Arena.
- Volunteers will be on hand to give garden tours and a garlic-planting demonstration.
- Ward 1 Councillor David Campbell will preside over a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new allotment beds.
- Family activities, including a real truck from the neighbouring fire station for kids to check out.
Visit highstreetgardeners.ca for more information, or stop by the garden during regular volunteer hours: Sundays from 9-11 a.m. and Tuesdays from 5-7 p.m.
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