Three local non-profit groups – Garrett County Community Works, the Mountain Laurel Garden Club, and Our Town Theatre – are partnering together to restore the old Memorial Garden on the grounds of the Theatre. The Garden was created in 2004 by Jane Avery, the original founder and artistic director of the Theatre, and a beloved kindergarten and high school teacher at Southern High School,l where she taught English and Drama for many years.
The Garden was created as a memorial to people who died too soon, especially local children, with a wall of inlaid bricks engraved with their names. Tucked away behind the Theatre’s costume building, it was a calm and beautiful place for families and community members to visit. Over time, the Garden became overgrown with weeds, large overhanging trees and shrubs, the memorial wall developed cracks in its mortar, nd its wall cap deteriorated, and its pathways and bench were lost.
That’s when Mikey Virts, the Theatre’s Artistic Director, began searching for a way to bring it back to its former glory. He raised the issue with Oakland Mayor Andrew Sauder to see what might be done.
Mayor Sauder then reached out to Community Works Garrett County, a group of more than 100 local volunteers who assist in a myriad of projects benefiting the community. Community Works immediately agreed to take up the Garden project. Lori Richards, a leader of the group, said,d “The story of this wonderful Garden and Jane Avery’s life and many contributions was so inspiring, we knew we had to find a way to restore her Garden. We also knew we couldn’t do it alone.”
That’s when the Mountain Laurel Garden Club joined the collaboration. With 88 members, the Club is affiliated with Federated Garden Clubs of MD and the National Garden Clubs, Inc. Its members designed and maintain the public garden at the Ruth Enlow Library in Oakland, and installed native gardens and trees at local State Parks, the Hickory Environmental Center, and Garrett College. Co-Presidents Deborah Hutton and Barb Davis said, “This is a natural collaboration for MLGC as we focus on restorative gardening. Several of our members are also involved with Our Town Theatre and are excited about bringing this local treasure back to its original intention: to provide a peaceful space for remembrance and reflection.”
The Club’s Master Gardeners created a plan and budget for the Garden’s restoration. The plan includes culling overgrowth, readying soil for planting, cleaning, repointing, and repairing the brick memorial wall, installing a below-ground waterline, native plants, mulch and step-stones, and finally, a restored statue and Garden sign, and a stone bench from a local quarry. Much of the work will be done by volunteers, although the plan also calls for work by a professional mason, plumber, and arborist.
The “Jane Avery Memorial Garden Restoration Project” formally kicked off on Saturday, when 14 volunteers met on a sunny but cold morning and got to work with their tools, pulling weeds,
Photo cutline: More than a dozen people took part in Day 1 of the renovation of the Jane Avery Memorial Garden
