Shanoa Totherow, c/o 2016
New goings-on have been in the making at Salem this semester! If one thing is certain, it’s that 2012 has been a year of significant growth for the Salem community. All of our campus clubs and organizations have been highly active in making an impact in the community, not the least which is the blossoming group The Circle. A club for Salem women interested in earth-based religions and homeopathic traditions, The Circle is entering its third year by embracing a new tradition of its own. Since the beginning of the semester, Circle members have been working alongside members of the Old Salem community in the publicly-maintained Wachovia Garden, located beside God’s Acre. The ladies of The Circle have been given special responsibility over the garden’s herb plot; so far, things have been blooming wonderfully.
Several Old Salem community members have eagerly taken the girls of The Circle under their tutelage. Long-time gardeners, Tracy Lounsbury, Carol Wooley, Elinore Levey, John Hauser, Jim McMillan, Ray Chamberlain, and Ashley and Kirk Sanders have been more than welcoming, and are deeply excited to share their wealth of knowledge with our Salem ladies!
If it were not for this dynamic group, the Wachovia Garden would not be. Three years ago, these individuals approached the members of Salem Congregation, who at the time were considering turning the property into a new parking lot, and proposed the idea of using the land for an organic, sustainable garden. The church joyfully agreed, and the garden club members’ three years of hard work have produced the lovely, fruitful plot we see today!
Besides growing produce for their own families, the garden club also donates much of the food produced in the garden to the Moravian Sunnyside Ministries, an organization which offers assistance to families in financial crisis.
Some exciting new additions have also been made to the garden. A new water system was installed earlier in the year, as well as a beautiful grape arbor and a new bench for The Circle’s herb garden. There are several projects on the agenda for the coming months, too. Sometime over the next few weeks, Dr. Lounsbury is planning on introducing two new Asian pear trees to the garden’s already extensive variety of fruit trees. The garden club will also be focusing on preparing the garden for the impending winter chills.
The coming spring has much in store, as well. Plans to replant the flower garden in front of the adjacent Belo House are already underway, and Dr. Lounsbury will be ordering two additional bee hives, one of which will be exclusively under the care of The Circle. In preparation for this, several Circle members have donned their beekeeper suit (generously donated by Dr. Lounsbury) and experienced caring for the beehive currently in the garden. The Circle is also taking responsibility for another section within the garden. Meeting dates to discuss what will be planted this coming season will be announced soon!
Anyone who is curious about The Circle, or who would simply love to garden with her Salem sisters, should feel free to get in touch Sara Otero, Bev Jones, or another Circle member. Everyone is welcome; and we would be delighted to see your glowing faces!
thesalemite.org 