In June of 1999, the Clear Lake District School Board had a difficult decision to make – what to do with the remaining 2.75 acres of ground that Central School had occupied. Their original intention had been to sell the property for some type of development until a very vocal minority convinced them that the public would prefer the area to remain green space.
“Way before the area became Central Gardens a group of community members wanted the ground, which had been used for public education for 100 years, to stay public,” said Kayla Myers, a long-time volunteer at Central Gardens and former florist at The Red Geranium on Clear Lake’s Main Street.
The mission of Central Gardens of North Iowa is to provide a public, intergenerational garden environment that is welcoming, beautiful, calm, educational, recreational, and fun. One look at the Gardens on any given Friday from June-late August can testify that their mission is fulfilled.
This summer’s first Fresh on Fridays, which was held June 7th, saw over 200 people and half that number were children. Fresh on Fridays is the perfect mix of children’s programming and the opportunity to purchase gorgeous floral bouquets cut fresh from the Garden and to sample fresh vegetables and herbs that are grown organically in the Bee Happy Discovery Garden.
Leigh Trembath, a member of Central Gardens board of directors, is in charge of the kids’ programming. “Our Bee Happy Discovery Garden was created as a place for all to explore and learn about growing vegetables and flowers in cooperation with nature. It grew out of our Fresh on Friday [and Garden Explorers] program, beginning in 2015,” she said in an informational YouTube video that was posted about the Gardens.
Trembath said the Bee Happy Discovery Garden is for all ages, but leans more toward younger children and the Board wanted a program for the older kids to connect with. The Gardeners of Tomorrow sprang up in 2019 for students going into 6th grade through 12th grade. These middle and high schoolers can put in as many hours as they would like and whenever their busy schedules allow.
This group meets on Wednesday afternoons to gather eggs from the hen house, harvest vegetables and herbs from the Bee Happy Discovery Garden, prepare the tasting recipe – through help and guidance from Iowa State University Extension and Healthy Harvest – for the Fresh on Friday morning samples, and takes extra produce and eggs over to the Food Pantry. They also help out at Fresh on Fridays.
“So they’re learning a little bit about gardening, they’re getting some community involvement by helping on Friday mornings here, and they help pick and sell the produce,” Trembath said. “They basically help out however they’re needed. And they do get Silver
Cord hours if they want to for that.”
To further the educational opportunities, each Friday features special garden activities and community partners that share their knowledge and interests. Some of these partners include Lime Creek Nature Center, Healthy Harvest of North Iowa, Clear Lake Arts Center, Iowa State Extension, the Landfill of North Iowa’s Iowa Waste Exchange and the Clear Lake Public Library.
“Gardens encourage a child’s sense of wonder and self expression and ability to observe and come up with questions and solutions. A garden is a virtual sensory playground,” Trembath has said. “The things I see that I really enjoy are multi-generational, because there’s something for all ages. And they’re all interacting together.”
