Published October 13. 2021 11:20AM
Rumors of a new garden club have begun circulating in the conversations of Northampton Borough residents.
The idea bloomed from retired Rev. Jerry Mraz of Holy Trinity Slovak Lutheran Church, 1370 Washington Ave., Northampton, after he noticed neighboring boroughs had begun utilizing this initiative for their public landscapes. A garden club would be a resident-driven group that plants and tends to plots dug up by the borough public works crew.
Interested persons can expect to work at Canal Street Park and along the Lehigh Delaware Trail Park. The group will be planting zinnias and rose and sunflower plots and doing light cleanup. The proposed name of the club is Konkrete Town Garden Club to complement the hometown of the Konkrete Kids.
Mraz said he is also looking into having Master Gardeners visit and give presentations to plant more knowledge on at-home lawn care. Along with giving landscape makeovers, Mraz also intends to spread his knowledge on the monarch butterflies’ fight against habitat loss and how residents can help by planting milkweed around the borough.
Those who are interested in bringing the Konkrete Town Garden Club to life and learning more about the monarch butterfly should contact Mraz at 610-442-8156 or farar@ptd.net.
PRESS PHOTOS BY CASSANDRA DAYOUB A monarch butterfly develops from a caterpillar that feeds from milkweed. This butterfly species is currently under attack from habitat loss induced by climate change. A group of activists in Northampton Borough is interested in planting milkweed around the community to invite more monarch butterflies to the community as part of the proposed Konkrete Town Garden Club.
Northampton Borough Community Planner Victor Rodite and retired Rev. Jerry Mraz are the pillars of the proposed club. Mraz is looking to spread his knowledge on monarch butterflies and how individuals can help with the invading issue of habitat loss.
