Central Area Garden Tour: June 9th

The Tenth Central District Garden Tour (GT12) will be from 11 am to 4 pm on June 9, 2012. Our theme is urban gardens, community/kids’ edible gardening and public art. The CD is one of Seattle’s oldest neighborhoods, and many unique, community-friendly happenings are quietly sprouting and thriving in our midst. We will publicize some of these by listing them as “Check It Out” features. One is Green Plate Special (GPS), an independent garden-to-table pilot program, designed for at-risk and under-served youth, grades 6-8. The initial pilot program is located in the Madrona-Central district, on the corner of East Union Street and Martin Luther King Junior Way. “Our mission is to be part of a movement that provides access to and tools for our low income Seattle youth to become the healthiest next generation, breaking the cycle that surrounds inadequate diet, poor eating habits, and the lack of access to and knowledge of healthy whole foods.” http://greenplatespecial.org/about-2/

(click here for rest of info)

GT12 HQ plaza at 23rd & Union will be lively with local performing art including students from Meter Music School on Union, Mt Calvary church and UmojaFest. Lunch options include newly-opened restaurants at and near 23rd & Union, including Med Mix serving a tasty assortment of Mediterranean foods and the Big Easy food truck serving catfish po’ boys. Cascade Edible Landscapes will be selling pesticide-free veggie and fruit starts. Union Biscuit will sell wholesome dog treats. There will also be pottery by Sandi Berlin and garden themed greeting cards and calendars by artist Mary Magenta.

Alleycat Acres’ two community gardens are Check it Out features. They are also organizing a group bicycle Garden Tour that leaves GT12 HQ at 11:45am.

Other sponsors are Central Cinema, CD Association, Earl’s Cuts and Styles, Girlie Press, Jackson Street Corridor Association, Key Bank, Leschi Market, NetGrafix, Realtor Ken Latz, Sea Suds, State Farm, Mark Travers Architect, Williamson Landscape Architecture and 2020 Cycle.

$7 advance tickets are available online at http://gardentour.centraldistrictseattle.org/, at City Peoples (2939 E. Madison), Leschi Market (103 Lakeside Ave), and on June 9th, $10 Day of Tour tickets at GT12 HQ, (MidTown Plaza at 23rd and Union). Learn more at http://gardentour.centraldistrictseattle.org/

Garden Central is a not-for-profit neighborhood organization and is open to anyone. Garden Central puts on the annual CD Garden Tour of private and community gardens. All proceeds go toward creating public art in the Central District. Our first art construction will be information kiosks/gathering places along 23rd Avenue, possibly beginning at Coyote Central. Learn more at http://artproject.centraldistrictseattle.org

Questions? Email jean_tinnea@hotmail.com or call Mary Pat @ (206) 324-5161