Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Through the work of volunteers, you know!
Volunteers show off the beautiful new flower beds in Centennial Park, which feature plants moved from the community garden. Standing: Bev Pederson, Jim Hovey, Denise Reis, Merita Aldayel, Amy Perleberg, Patty Hilbert, Mike Huffman, Julia Bush, Bruce Hagen, Gail Weisenburger; seated: Colleen Hagen, MarJean Pfau, Kelly McKnight, Karen Anderson, Stacy Cleveland, Katie Cleveland and Wyatt Cleveland. Not pictured: Annette Hovey, John McKnight, Chad Clelland, Jacob Cleveland, Logan Cleveland.
Volunteers Karen Anderson, Amy Perleberg, Katie Cleveland and Denise Reis spent the day on Saturday, July 30, moving plants from the community garden into their new beds in Centennial Park. The beds have fresh, black dirt and a high-strength barrier to minimize weeds.
Casey Weber volunteered his time and equipment to move the rock into Centennial Park on Wed., Aug. 3.
The rock in its original location, placed downtown and painted for the 2000 All-School Reunion and Independence Day celebration. The rock moved to the community garden in 2003. (Transcript file photo).
Edwin Horning, the founder of the New Rockford Community Garden.
Another chapter of community garden history has been written. In observance of the New Rockford Community Garden's move across the street into Centennial Park, I did a little research on the origins of New Rockford's downtown gem.
It all began thanks to the efforts of one man: Edwin Horning, a 1940 graduate of NRHS and longtime resident.
Horning was a rural mail carrier for nearly 30 years, as well as a Boy Scout leader. He first planted the garden in 1985, on the land upon which the old creamery had stood.
When Kent Braunberger moved to town in June of that year, he watched Horning.
"I found Ed working on his hands and knees in the garden which he had just started that spring ... and then we kept it up together, becoming friends along the way!" Braunberger recalled.
"For years, as I helped Ed, we would be digging up old nails and debris," Braunberger said. "The soil wasn't real good by any means."
The garden was filled with all annuals in the beginning. The pair basically replanted it every year, so it was very labor intensive, according to Braunberger.
In the early days, Horning would scrounge leftover plants from various greenhouses in early summer. Later, people would drive by and give donations as they were working in the garden. They started a fund so they could purchase plants and do the planting earlier. Then a few perennials, such as sedum and daylilies, were added. The city installed a spigot so they could water the garden.
In 1995, Horning moved to Bismarck, thus ending his 10-year tenure as tender of the community garden. Horning passed away in 2013. Then Braunberger moved away in 2018.
After Horning's departure, Eddy County 4-H leaders and members helped take care of the garden for about five years.
Then, in the early 2000s, a group of women gave the garden new life. They drew a garden plan on a piece of graph paper, which longtime gardener Colleen Hagen has kept in a drawer. The plan called for 532 sq. ft. of flower beds, and 1,805 sq. feet of rock.
The New Rockford Area Chamber of Commerce and SADD organizations were among those who have cared for the garden. In a clipping from the Transcript, SADD members are seen weeding the garden.
Many people have helped Hagen over the years. Among them are a few she calls "Colleen's Gardening Angels"- Jude Meier, Nancy Arendt and Bev Pederson. "To keep them coming back, I always treated them to a refreshing beverage or two at Hanson's to rehydrate!" Hagen said.
When Hagen learned last month that a dental clinic would be built on the land upon which the community garden grows, she rallied the troops one more time to help move dozens of perennials as well as piles of rock. The perennials moved to the east side entrance to Centennial Park. The brittle, overgrown shrubs were torn out, and fresh, black dirt added to create lush beds for the colorful flowers. The remaining plants were salvaged from the garden and taken back to the volunteers' homes in the community.
History of the rock
New Rockford's landmark rock first came on the downtown scene in 2000. Volunteers were planning an all-school reunion, Gail Weisenburger recalled, and the theme was "Flock to the Rock." They found a large, well shaped specimen, laid it in the boulevard across the street from Seaburg Drug (now Central Pharmacy) and painted the slogan on it.
Then, as the community garden volunteers and Chamber of Commerce made their plan to give the garden a facelift, the rock became a focal point. In October 2003, former resident David Dusek moved the rock into the garden, and Kevin Zink sandblasted the paint off. A photo in the October 20, 2003 edition of the Transcript shows several volunteers after the rock was placed in the center of the garden: Duane Duda, Mark Seiler, Levi Duda, Colleen Hagen, Janine Anderson, Annette Duda, Kathy Anderson and Bill Starke.
The next year, volunteers replanted the garden with donated perennials and $175 from a brat and pop float sale at Hagen's Super Valu. Then the Chamber held a contest to determine the rock's new look. Simplicity won out, and they chose "New Rockford, North Dakota" and a map of the state with a star to mark New Rockford's place. North Central Granite of Devils Lake engraved the rock.
Nearly 20 years later, on Aug. 3, it was time for the rock to make another move. Bruce Hagen dug up the sod in Centennial Park, and then Casey Weber lifted, moved and placed it with assistance from Public Works Superintendent Bruce Hirchert and his crew.
