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Avondale Estates, Avon Garden Clubs recognized for work at Avondale Elementary School

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Avondale Estates, Avon Garden Clubs recognized for work at Avondale Elementary School

Staff from Avondale Elementary and members of the Avondale Estates and Avon Garden Clubs were recognized by the City Commission on Oct. 27 for the garden clubs' work to improve and beautify the front entrance of the school. Photo courtesy of Ellen Powell.
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Avondale Estates, GA — The city of Avondale Estates, during the City Commission meeting on Oct. 27, recognized the Avondale Estates and Avon Garden Club for their work to improve the front entrance of Avondale Elementary School.

“The front lawn had overgrown plants and needed attention,” Carolyn Chandler, youth committee chair for Avon Garden Club, previously told Decaturish. “During the pandemic, people were bored, and it seemed a good time to see if they would like to help with the various parts of the renovation.”

The youth committees of both garden clubs organized the Avondale Elementary Totem Garden project, in partnership with the Avondale Historical Sign Committee, the Avondale Art Guild, Eco Gardens LLC, and Plants Creative Landscapes.

 

The organizations received a $1,000 from the National Garden Club Plant America grant to fund the project.

“The landscaping is the biggest part financially, and we are working with Plants Landscaping to have them do the heavy lifting of removing the overgrown plants, amending the soil, pruning and putting in new shrubs,” Chandler said.

Artistic elements were also added and included three 7-foot totems built and painted by the Avondale Art Guild, according to the proclamation recognizing Avondale Elementary School Totem Garden Day. The totems depict illustrations of students, birds, bugs, life cycles of frogs, and flowers. They are topped with birdhouses that were built by Mark Timberlake and painted by artists in the community.

The Avon and Avondale Estates Garden Clubs are working on landscaping improvements at Avondale Elementary School. The project also includes totem poles that are being built and painted by members of the community. Photo submitted by Bruce Johnston.

A free little library was added as well. It was built by Ernie Ahlquist and Louis Belline and painted by Michele Spears. The goal was to fill it with nature-oriented books related to gardening, birds, bugs, ecology, recycling and environmental topics.

Art instructor Lisa Kemp’s students at the elementary school painted river rocks to add color and fun to the garden, and Scott Maxwell donated 700 bricks for landscape edging.

The city recognized the hard work, dedication and passion of the 175 volunteers who dedicated about 1,231 hours of time in service to the community and the school.

Avondale Elementary School. Photo by Dean Hesse.

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