The City of Norcross is set to break ground on Discovery Garden Park (DGP) in the coming weeks. Located on the grounds of the Norcross Welcome Center and Museum at 189 Lawrenceville Street in the heart of historic downtown Norcross, the DGP will feature an outdoor classroom pavilion, a grilling station, diverse native plant collections, a pollinator garden, a children’s garden and an organic community garden. Park organizers are raising funds to build a greenhouse and furnish the new garden park through corporate sponsorships; fundraising events including a “Garden to Table BBQ” dinner on May 22; and through the DGP’s engraved brick campaign.
DGP’s chair Deb Harris states, “We are so excited and proud of what this garden park will bring to our community. It will provide nature-based experiences and resources and provide a great place for all to enjoy, celebrate, work and come together.”
The mission of DGP is to inspire lifelong curiosity, understanding, and appreciation of nature through organic gardening, education and demonstration as well to provide a place of beauty for Norcross residents and visitors.
The DGP will be a place where all ages get the chance to play, learn and discover the natural world. The garden park will cater to a variety of interests and sustainable life skills including organically growing vegetables, understanding beekeeping, sharpening culinary skills and much more.
DGP will also be home to an organic community garden, supported by the city as part of its ARC Green Communities Program and managed by a group of enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers. The community garden offers the opportunity for citizens to grow their own fruits, vegetable and flowers with the added bonus of building cultural exchanges and friendships.
While public funding has made the new DGP possible, additional funding is needed for the park to reach its full potential. The following events and happenings are designed to support and build momentum:
Living the Green Life
Community Learning Series
Green Life is the name of the DGP’s class series that focuses on sustainable life skills such as gardening, cooking, garden wildlife and art. Brought to the public by a talented group, participants will have fun adding new skills to their life through this series.
Monarchs Across Georgia
Saturday, May 21 from 10 a.m. to noon at Norcross Community Center, 10 College Street
Guest speaker Trecia Neal, Biologist and Monarch Conservation Specialist at Fernbank Science Center, has co-chaired the Monarchs Across Georgia committee and actively serves as member of the Monarch Watch Conservation Specialist’s team. Trecia will give a slideshow presentation on life of monarch butterflies, why the migration is endangered, current conservation efforts and how we can help.
FREE admission – RSVP and inquiries to deb.ndgp@gmail.com Sponsored by the Discovery Garden Park and the Norcross Garden Club.
Garden to Table BBQ – SOLD OUT
Sunday, May 22 on Skin Alley
Enjoy live music and a family-style meal featuring the freshest seasonal finds. Raise a glass to the best barbecue in Norcross and dine under the stars on Skin Alley. BBQ judging at 6 p.m. and dinner will be served at 7 p.m.
45 South and Mojitos ‘cash bars’ open at 6 pm Live Music.
TICKETS: Adults-$25; 6-12 years $10; under 5 years $5; 100% of all proceeds go toward furnishing the DGP
Discovery Garden Park Engraved Brick Campaign
The DGP’s Engraved Brick Campaign offers the opportunity for the community to help pave the way for the new garden park. A permeable brick can be purchased with a $50 contribution and can be engraved with the name of the purchaser, or that of a loved one, or a favorite saying. The donation will help provide experiences that open eyes, young and old, to nature and ignite a lifelong interest in protecting the planet and sustaining the lives of the plants and animals that call it home.
For more information, contact Deb.ndgp@gmail.com
