Group Steps Up to Help at Garden and Grounds Service Day at Festival Hill

It is always nice to realize you have good neighbors and friends that will step forward to help and Round Top Festival Institute found themselves being very thankful for a group that came forward to clear trails, prepare the famous Shakespeare Garden for a spring planting, and remove invasive species on a grassy knoll.

The Cisco Pinedo family and a large group of friends met Saturday morning after Thanksgiving outside of the Menke House on the grounds of Festival Hill where coffee and goodies provided by The Eklektik Peacock/29 House and Lollitop Sweetshop were supplied. The planning committee led by Texas Master Naturalist volunteer Jamie Lee Manning, Cisco Village “Special Projects” manager Paloma Pinedo, Festival Hill Horticulturalist Julia Johnson and staff member Pat Johnson came prepared with tools, gloves, and a plan to start the inaugural Gardens and Grounds Service Day.

A grant from the Round Top Lions Club was used to supply tools for the crew and gloves were donated by Superior Glove Company. Crews were split into three groups with instruction for tool use, tree trimming and trail building. The garden crew was led by Julia Johnson and in no time old leaves and mulch were cleared for new planting. Everyone was schooled on poison ivy and what good plants to leave and what to remove such as rag weed and non-native ligustrum.

A well-earned lunch was provided by The Stone Cellar and the crew had worked up an appetite by 1 p.m. Other donations included use of equipment from All Points Equipment and a soon to be purchased stateof- the-art lawnmower. Beth Weishuhn and Andy Johnson of The Crown Bar, along with Pixie and the Moon, Harper Worn & Weathered, Moontower Austin, The Scarab, Rani Daze Retro, Cowboy Corner and Junkalope Ranch fundraised during the Fall Antique’s week at the first annual “Vintage Western Fashion Show” and gave a generous donation collected by ticket sales for the purchase.

The day wrapped up with a dinner at OakBones, an event center and B&B located outside of Round Top being developed by Cisco Pinedo and his daughter, Maurishka Pinedo.

The committee is planning another service day on January 28 and is looking for strong hands and backs for more trail clearing and preparing gardens for the spring. For more information on how to volunteer for Gardens and Grounds at Festival Hill contact Julie Johnson, 979 249-3129 or email patj@festivalhill. org.