Historical Summer 2001 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
The Beautification Committee of the Skinker DeBaliviere Community Council sponsored its third annual Breakfast Garden Tour on Saturday. June 9. Commencing at 8:30 a.m. with a continental breakfast served in the McPherson Community Garden, 5900 McPherson, the tour this year featured private gardens located in the east central sector of the community. Committee Chairman Andy Cross saw this event, which is a major fundraiser for the Skinker DeBaliviere Community Council, as a marketing tool as well as a moneymaker. “It brings new folks to the neighborhood,” Andy noted, “but it also helps neighbors get to know their neighbors. Only good things will come out of this project.” Breakfast once again this year featured coffee contributed by Genesis House. 6018 Delmar. Representatives from that group assisted in coffee service and were available to talk about their exciting coffeehouse, a welcome addition to the excitement on Delmar Boulevard.
While at the McPherson Garden, tour participants received their tour maps and also had the opportunity to purchase Skinker DeBaliviere T-shirts and to participate in a raffle for a variety of prizes.
In addition to the breakfast at the McPherson Garden, tour participants were also invited to visit the Block Unit 1035 Community Garden (at the corner of Hamilton and Westminster) and to stop by for a special ceremony at the triangle park located at Waterman and DeGiverville. Maintained by Block Unit 1035, the park is home to the Flight statue, which was purchased by neighborhood children in the ’70’s as a beautification project for their community. Neighborhood leader Mrs. Ronie Haliburton has been instrumental in researching the history of this interesting piece of public sculpture and In finding the resources to have it maintained. Master Gardener Susan Winter from Gateway Greening shared gardening information at the park at 11:00 a.m. Public Gardens: Open 8:30 a.m. to Noon 5900 Block of McPherson MCPHERSON COMMUNITY GARDEN Now in its 5th year, the Garden has already won significant awards: 1997 Gateway Greening -Best New Community Garden”, 1998 Post-Dispatch Great Garden Contest **Honorable Mention”, 1999 Post-Dispatch Great Garden Contest “Best Community Garden”. Led by Coordinator Andy Cross, the neighborhood participants have built over 60 raised beds for individual vegetable and flower patches.
The central “Butterfly Garden” features perennials designed to attract winged friends, and the riot of color in the sidewalk plantings welcome you into one of Skinker DeBaliviere’s most pleasant public spaces 8:30 to 10:30 am Enjoy your breakfast croissants, fruit salad. juices, breakfast meats. Coffee courtesy of Genesis House Visit the Gateway Greening Inc. Booth McPherson participants will be on hand to answer your questions about community gardening. Westminster at DeGiverville BLOCK UNIT 1035 COMMUNITY GARDEN Cross over the Kingsbury bridge for peek over the fence of Skinker DeBaliviere’s other award-winning community garden. (1st and 3rd in Gateway Greening’s 1999 and 2000 “Established Community Garden” category.) Ably led by Coordinator Ronnie Haliburton, this enclosed corner lot provides-21 raised beds encircled with lush flower borders tended by even more of the neighborhood’s avid gardeners,. who have also taken on the triangle park at Waterman and DeGiverville. Laurel / DeGiverville/ Waterman Triangle BLOCK UNIT 1035 SCULPTURE GARDEN All three corners of this charming triangle park are loaded with perennials lovingly planted and tended by the 1035 Gardeners for the rest* of us to enjoy. It’s a growing riot of color. leaf texture and size that gets better each year. AnChored by decorative grasses, blue salvia, purple liatris and buddleia, red and white mini roses, sedum, daylilies galore, yellow moonbeam coreopsis, Iris, pink dianthis and fragrant catmint follow the spring array of daffodils. Shaded by the huge center tree, epimideum and hosta are developing into green and white ground covers.
The fiberglass statue, “Flight” was sculpted in the 1960’s by local artist Rudy Torrini (long-time professor of Art at Fontbonne College) working with a selected group of neighbor-hood kids on one of St. Louis’ earliest “public community art” projects. It’s kind of fun to note that one of those student participants, Olivia Gude, grew up at 5901 Pershing, which happens to be one of the private gardens on tour this year. 11:00 a. m. SPECIAL LECTURE Drawing Perennials in the City” Susan White, Gateway Greening Master Gardener Des Peres at Kingsbury FOUR CORNERS Your neighbors water and tend the lush planters punctuating the paved gathering area, which is used for neighborhood events such as National Night Out and summer concerts. Neighbors led by Katrina Stierholz also privately raised the $60,000 needed to build the newest family destination in Skinker DeBaliviere: the colorful and attractive Four Corners Playground.
Original photograph caption
At Block Unit 1035 Sculpture Garden, from left: Bette Welch, Susan White of Gateway Greening, Gwen Lazard, Ronie Haliburton, Theresa King and Glori L’Ecuyer. Photographer not credited.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, Summer 2001.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Archival transcription note: Report credits Master Gardener Susan Winter; program and photograph caption say Susan White. Source names preserved. Report places Flight purchase in 1970s; program says sculpted in 1960s; these may describe separate milestones, not silently reconciled.
Original source: SD_Times2001_06.pdf, printed page(s) 6, 7; PDF page(s) 6, 7.
