Celebrate The Season

With A Harvest Festival

By Kendra Bobowick

Celebrating its bounty a second year in a row, Victory Garden founders and participants are planning a Harvest Festival on September 23.

Volunteers have again grown and provided fresh produce this season to the town’s food pantries and Nunnawauk Meadows through a community gardening project located at Fairfield Hills.

“We can congratulate ourselves with a classic garden festival,” said garden founder Harvey Pessin. He looks forward to this year’s festival, which will be at Fairfield Hills from 1 to 4 pm. He plans to use the abandoned tennis court between the garden and the parking area, where guests will find a band tent and another tent with a common table for food to share. he said. The theme is “Give a little, take a little,” he said. “We will have benches, picnic tables for friends, neighbors, and others who can bring in their own food and food to share.”

 Municipal officials and the general public are “encouraged to come,” Mr Pessin said. “It’s a community effort, and the festival is a community event.” Guests are also welcome to learn more about the Victory Garden.

Confident that the garden supplied at least as much produce this season as last, Mr Pessin said, “The only problem all year is that we had groundhogs that did damage to early spring crop, but other than that we did very well.”

He also noted that this year’s gardening groups were “more diverse.” He saw a variety of student groups and civic groups participating this year. “The [garden’s] reach is a little broader this year.”

Also anticipating the event, Parks and Recreation Director Amy Mangold said, “I am excited.” She looks back on a “successful season of harvesting for food pantries in town.” Learn more about the garden at FoodPantryGarden.org.

Next month, the victory garden coordinators are hosting a lecture on organic vegetable gardening throughout the winter on the first weekend in October at the C.H. Booth Library conference room from 2 to 4 pm. This event is also open to the general public. A $5 donation is requested. Contact Mr Pessin at harve9@yahoo.com for details.