Fifth Street Garden has official Grand Opening

When Madison Mayor Fred Perriman was given the microphone at the “Official Grand Opening” of the Fifth Street Community Garden, he looked out over the tidy garden space and the multitude of volunteers gathered to celebrate.

“I don’t know how many of you remember how this corner looked years ago,” he said.

The corner, behind the Rose of Sharon Church on Fifth Street now stands as a greenspace oasis. It’s deer-proof fencing protects 45 raised garden beds that members of the community can rent for $35 per year. Many of the beds, according to Fifth Street Garden Board Member Pat Leming, are used to provide fresh, local food for food pantries.

Sonya Hope says the three garden beds the First St. Paul Baptist Church Youth Group rents are used to show the kids where and how food is grown. “Some of these kids didn’t know where tomatoes come from,” Hope said.

But Saturday was a day, as gardeners know, to rest. The ceremony was a moment for members to reflect on beginnings and to revel in the leaps and bounds the organization has taken since its founding.

The Fifth Street Community Garden, a place Perriman said was “a special place for our city and our citizens,” came together on an “idea” from Founder Sally Fowler.

“Sally is a problem solver,” said Board Member Joan Sherwood at the event. “She had the tenacity to take a wonderful idea and make it a reality.”

The garden came together, Fowler said, through a complex partnership between the Fifth Street group, the city of Madison (especially Madison Planning and Development Director Monica Callahan, Fowler said), the Madison Downtown Development Authority and local citizen donations that created a more than $20,000 jumpstart. Lowe’s also gave the group a $20,000 donation.

“If it hadn’t been for Monica Callahan, I can guarantee you it wouldn’t have happened,” Fowler said. “She held my hand and walked me through this process.”

Today, the garden boasts a pavilion, garden shed with tools, water resources for the gardens, a parking area and a larger, in-ground growing plot for the Madison-Morgan Boys & Girls Club kids to learn about growing food. Everything is neat and is set off by a large, bright red sculpture called “Red Digital Arch” donated to the garden by the Madison Public Arts Commission.

Fowler told the more than 50 people gathered at the grand opening that while the garden, and the food and flowers it produces, is important, the concept of growth and collaboration defines her efforts.

“The community we have built with this garden and the people we have brought together is what this is all about,” she said.

Fowler said people from the community contributed during the formation of both the idea and the actual hard work of constructing the garden. “Unique talents showed up at just the right time,” she said. “It happened over and over.”

One of the those talents is Dr. Hiram Johnson. Fowler took a moment to specifically recognize the insatiable Madison volunteer for his efforts in completing the garden.

“This garden would not look like it looks today without the work and dedication of Dr. Hiram Johnson,” she said. The pavilion will have a plaque dedicated to Johnson and his efforts, she said.

During a ribbon cutting ceremony, Madison City Council Member Ed Latham lauded the garden, its positive effect on community and Fowler’s work. “She had the vision, she got us moving and she caused the action,” he said.

The garden, Perriman said, is a catalyst for cooperation. “It brings our neighborhood together as one.”