SANTA CLARA — Members of Southern Utah Girl Scout Troop 71 gathered at the Santa Clara branch of the Washington County Library Saturday to participate in a service project to build planter boxes for the library’s outdoor patio.
The girls learned important woodworking, gardening and team working skills as they built the boxes and planted some with flowers.
A public open house to view the new garden addition will take place Friday during the library’s regular hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The library has a patio?
The outdoor project was a long time coming, said Molly DeWolff, the reference and adult services librarian at the Santa Clara Branch. DeWolff said that many people don’t even know that the library has an outdoor patio.
“It’s a beautiful space that nobody uses,” DeWolff said.
The idea behind building the planter boxes – which will be used for flowers, gardening and a host of library programs – was to get library patrons outside and engaged with nature and the environment as well as with the library.
“It’s all encompassing,” DeWolff said. “It’s the library, it’s the community, it’s nature.”
Many of the things that will be grown will be dependent upon the season or the types of programs the library develops. One idea, DeWolff said, is to grow a literary garden based on foods found in books.
For example, the garden could be themed around the famous children’s book “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle, DeWolff said, and they would grow things a hungry caterpillar could eat.
Whatever the boxes contain, DeWolff hopes the community will participate and enjoy the enhanced space.
Improve each other and the community
Before anything could be planted, the library needed garden boxes built. Girl Scout Troop 71 volunteered their time and skills to help build the boxes and fill them with soil.
Troop 71 is based out of the Dixie Elks Lodge and has about 28 girls in grades first through eighth, said Linda Mawhorter, troop leader. The girls all attend different schools and have different religious affiliations but they come together as a single Girl Scout community, Linda Mawhorter said.
“Girls Scouts is kind of just a place for girls to learn, to all come together as one and help improve each other and the community,” 13-year-old troop member Shailynn Lamb said.
Saturday’s project taught the girls how to use tools to build and garden as well as work together.
“I think (this project) it is fun to do this with other people,” troop member Shaelynn Mawhorter said, adding that she loved the mathematics aspect of learning the angles involved with putting the boxes together correctly.
Come see what is growing
Guests are invited to come enjoy the library’s patio space at a public open house Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The casual event will feature fun hands-on activities and an opportunity to enjoy the garden.
Volunteers are always needed and can help by donating supplies, by giving of their time to maintain the garden or by donating their gardening skills to help develop programs. Those interested in volunteering can contact the library at 435-986-0432.
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Members of Girl Scout Troop 71 help plant flowers in newly built planter boxes on the patio of the Santa Clara Library, Santa Clara, Utah, April 7, 2018 | Photo by Molly DeWolff, St. George News Members of Girl Scout Troop 71 help plant flowers in newly built planter boxes on the patio of the Santa Clara Library, Santa Clara, Utah, April 7, 2018 | Photo by Molly DeWolff, St. George News The Santa Clara branch of the Washington County Library system gets enhanced with garden boxes for its patio space, Santa Clara, Utah, April 7, 2018 | Photo by Molly DeWolff, St. George News Members of Girl Scout Troop 71 build garden boxes for the patio at the Washington County Library - Santa Clara Branch, Santa Clara, Utah, April 7, 2018 | Photo by Molly DeWolff, St. George News Members of Girl Scout Troop 71 build garden boxes for the patio at the Washington County Library - Santa Clara Branch, Santa Clara, Utah, April 7, 2018 | Photo by Hollie Reina, St. George News Members of Girl Scout Troop 71 build garden boxes for the patio at the Washington County Library - Santa Clara Branch, Santa Clara, Utah, April 7, 2018 | Photo by Hollie Reina, St. George News Chester Swosinski instructs members of Girl Scout Troop 71 how to build planter boxes at the Washington County Library - Santa Clara Branch, Santa Clara, Utah, April 7, 2018 | Photo by Hollie Reina, St. George News
Event details
- What: Public open house at Santa Clara Library.
- When: Friday, April 13, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Where: Washington County Library – Santa Clara Branch, 1099 Lava Flow Drive, St. George.
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews
well thats nice. i haven’t run into any of them selling cookies this year. i will buy some if i see them
Need me some samoas
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