Owens-Bell Park Gets A New Garden

The West End/Clingman Avenue neighbors got together to plant the WECAN Sunny Cultural Garden on October 27, 2007, in honor of many of our neighbors.  First, we honor Mr. Owens and Mr. Bell, whose photos reign above the new garden.  Second, we honor all the gardeners who live and have lived in WECAN.  Thirdly, we honor the keepers of the plants whose histories have lived along side us all these years and last but not least, we honor my 50th year.
As a tribute to the enduring nature of all of our neighbors, WECAN chose to set some of our historic granite curbstones as the border of this new garden.  These stones, having been harvested by the City of Asheville when new sidewalks were installed on Park Avenue & Jefferson Drive in 2006 & 2007, came back back home with help from Richard Hawes (Pattiy’s childhood friend), David Sluder of MHO, a crew of 7 volunteers from Warren Wilson College and a few random passsers by.
The garden itself results from the efforts of Byron Ballard, garden designer Nicole LaChance and all of those who gave plants and came to help plant the WECAN SCG.  Some of those include Luella & David Heetderks, Jessie Mae Jones, Jessie Nell Coleman, Evelyn Littlejohn and her two granddaughters as well as members of Pattiy’s immediate family, Lynn Torno-Murphy, Joe Torno-Murphy, Sharon Souders, Harry Torno & Gail Millbank.