As spring soil's earthy scents fill the air, residents inclined to get their hands dirty will have that opportunity in early May. A glance at the Parks and Recreation Department's Spring 2017 Brochure will put volunteers back in touch with the Newtown Fruit Trail, established last year. Join the recreation department and trail founder Andrew Mangold on the weekend of May 6 and 7, from 10 am to 5 pm each day, for the first trail gardening of the season. The fruit trail is located in Fairfield Hills bordering part of the recreational trail looping the campus. Volunteers can join the event for some or all of the time on either or both days.

"Join us at the Fruit Trail to get our hands dirty and our hearts alight for all of the growing to come," the brochure states. The days are intended to clean up the gardens, plant new trees, assess plant health, and evaluate tasks for the year ahead, states the brochure.

Volunteers be removing winter tree cages, planting new bulbs, shrubs, and flowers, and learning about each of the different species assembled at the trail. Participants will get hands-on practice preparing gardens and tending to perennial plants.

Mr Mangold said, "Volunteers will gather to awake with the spring" and enjoy the "first gardening of the year together."

He added, "It will be a lot of fun, and refreshing to break the first soil with friends and community." He feels "butterflies of excitement to see the new buds opening, and to keep dancing along with the growth of the plants we so enthusiastically established last fall. It was a huge effort, and now is the time we get to feel the pleasure of each leaf unfolding."

The garden will "continue to make a home for butterflies, bees, and birds at the trail, growing plants that feed the land and the people as one," notes the brochure.

Last year, the trail surprised volunteers with a flush of Cosmos "that brightened the length of the trail. This year, gardeners can expect another new spectrum of color as perennial plants grow into maturity." According to the brochure, "We can look forward to our first public berries this summer, and we may get to begin counting the number of bird, bee and butterfly species that are making a home at the trail.'

Join Mr Mangold and others for part or all of the weekend. The Newtown Fruit Trail is a volunteer effort meant for community enjoyment.