Let’s celebrate our wee corner of the world (in tiskʷat /townsite) with a weekly neighbourhood gathering. Kicking things off with a garage sale in June, we kept it going with Sunday afternoon free food micro markets, and wrapped things up with a September BBQ. We are lucky to live in an area of avid gardeners, they brought produce, eggs and flowers. We have historians, they brought books and stories. The kids brought their creativity, painting alleyway murals. The baker brought bread! We enjoyed refreshing drinks. And to round things off, the carpenter made bird boxes to welcome more chickadees to our neighbourhood.
It was so easy to organize – we kept it low-key, loose and light, mostly it was word of mouth. Same time and place every week, with 10-20 people showing up (and a few dogs). Come if you can, we said, and if you can’t the you might find a box of food and goodies on your doorstep later.
Through Garden Party we learned that we live in an area where people value..
Gathering together and contributing to each other’s lives. There is a deepening sense of belonging and community here.
Furthering relationships by convening on a regular basis over time, the trust just happens, enough to “say more than just hello.” We check in with each other more and bring each other things, it’s easier to ask for help and lend a hand when needed.
Reflecting on time past in our neighbourhood…learning and connecting through the stories of this place.
Sharing future plans and thoughts – so many ideas! A gathering outside around a fire pit in the winter; coordinating food planting and growing more food for each other; building bat boxes; sharing recipes, seeds, seedlings, plants and food processing; a kid’s bike rodeo; asset mapping our skills and resources; connect further with other food growers and find ways to keep increasing biodiversity and food security together.
Keep the garden party going!!!
