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Garden News
See also – listings in Calendar/Events. Follow us on social media and be sure to sign up for Remind. Read the Septermber 2024 newsletter
Old Brooklyn Street Fest
Hope you had a chance to stop by the BFCG booth at the OB Street Fest! We were part of the fun with a "photo booth," freebies, and Garden merch for sale. Thanks to gardener Tracy Gardner for the super set-up and also to the volunteers throughout the day.
Is there any doubt? We're a Blue Ribbon Garden!
Ben Franklin Community Garden was the blue ribbon winner at the 2024 Cuyahoga County Fair! Kudos and thanks to Operating Committee member Bert Orsini and her crew for the outstanding concept and exhibit! Thanks also to all the gardeners who donated produce for our entry. Outstanding again!
2nd Annual Mai Tag Beer Fest
Thanks to everyone who made Mai Tag 2024 a fun community event! We sure served up some good brews! The weather? Pfft. One attendee commented that he thought it added to it as during the couple of showers we huddled together and struck up good conversations! That's the spirit! Prost!
Thanks to Schnitz Ale Brewery for partnering with us (to our benefit!) and for rounding up the terrific batch of local brewers: Blue Monkey Brewing Co., Brick & Barrel Brewing, Broadview Brewing Co., Forest City Brewery, Four Paws Brewing Co., Planted Flag Brewing, Working Class Brewery. Thanks to each one and also to all the volunteers.
Successful Fundraiser
It was a green and golden evening! A huge success!
Thank you to all the businesses and individuals who donated prizes and bakery, thanks to everyone who volunteered their time, and, of course, thanks to everyone who attended our gala. We're grateful also to the Sachsenheim crew and to Green Kitchen for providing the vegan meals. Shout out to gardener Lisa Young for driving the benefit bus once again! Prize donors are listed below. Please patronize your local businesses. When you do please remember to tell them that you appreciate their support.
News from the 2023 season
BFCG hosts Collinwood Painted Rain Barrel Project Sep. 30
KeyBank Neighbors Make the Difference Day – June 13
Despite the rain and mud, they came out to volunteer and planted seven plots(!) designated for local hunger centers. We can't wait to see the produce that comes about! Thank you, KeyBank! As you know. we donate as much as 5,000 pounds of produce to local hunger centers and food pantries each season. Not only does the produce come from the plots designated for the hunger centers, but gardeners also donate excess produce from their own gardens. (Hint: we'll need volunteers to maintain and harvest those planted hunger center plots. Community groups welcome.)
First Annual "Mai Tag" Beer Fest – May 13
Thanks to everyone who came out for Mai Tag, an afternoon of amazing local brews, delicious food, and live music. Thanks to Schnitz Ale Brewery for organizing this event and selecting BFCG as the host site and recipient of proceeds.
Successful Spring Fling Fundraiser 2023 – Sachsenheim Hall
Prize donors are listed below. Please remember to support your local businesses and tell them that you appreciate their support.
News from the 2022 season
Hyland Software Volunteers
Earlier this summer of 2022 Ben Franklin Community Garden was fortunate to have volunteers from Hyland Software spend a day beautifying the grounds. Members of the team cleaned brush from our alleyway, installed gutter guards on our storage shed, planted Hunger Plots that feed the community, put down cardboard and covered it in 10 yards of soil, and mulched our newly-built pavilion area. The beautification of our pavilion area significantly enhanced the appearance of the site where, this year, we held 11 concerts for the community. The Hyland Software volunteers worked hard and efficiently. Their service was to the betterment of the garden and the Old Brooklyn community as a whole. We at the community garden wants to express our gratitude for their service and commitment to the greater community.
Annual Meeting - Election 2022
On Saturday, September 10th, gardeners gathered for our traditional (traditionally delicious!) potluck luncheon. The annual meeting with elections of Operating Committee members followed. Congratulations to re-elected members, Mark Tapajna and Jennifer Terry, and to newly elected members Tom Sargent and Lisa Young.
Your Blue Ribbon Garden!
Once again Ben Franklin Community Garden was the blue ribbon winner at the 2022 Cuyahoga County Fair! Kudos and thanks to Operating Committee members, Renata Jelito and Jennifer Terry for the outstanding concept and exhibit! Thanks also to all the gardeners who donated produce for our entry. Outstanding!
If you were not able to attend the Zoom meeting on May 10th, you are encouraged to watch a recording of it here. It contains important informationn about the season. For quick reference you can view slides from the meeting here.
Spring Fling 2022
It was a success! We're so grateful to everyone who donated prizes and bakery, to everyone who volunteered time, and, of course, to everyone who attended our gala evening. Thanks also to the Sachsenheim crew. Shout out to gardener Lisa Young who coordinated it all! Prize donors are listed below. Please remember to support your local businesses and tell them that you appreciate their support.
BFCG in the Old Brooklyn News
See the article by Brittney Hooper in the OBN Spring issue on page 17.
Spent grain is our gain
Brewer's spent grain (BSG), also called draff, is a byproduct of beer making. Some might consider it waste but there are valuable uses for it. It's rich in nutrition with high protein and fiber, making it a valuable additive in animal feed and human food too. It’s also great as a soil amendment and addition to compost. In compost it is “green” waste with a high nitrogen content.
We’re fortunate to be able to obtain spent grain from the new Schnitz Ale Brewery, which happens to be the first brewery in Parma’s history. Thanks to Igor Djurin and brewmaster Jerome Moore for giving Schnitz Ale’s BSG to the Garden for our composting program. And thanks to Greg Noeth for his frequent hauls of hundreds of poundsof the mash! We encourage you to patronize the brewpub and also the Djurin family’s Das Schnitzel Haus, across the street (Pearl Rd.). Let them know you’re a Benji gardener and you appreciate their contribution. https://schnitzalebrewery.com
This adds to our stable of efforts for a more circular economy, along with coffee gounds we pick up from Metropolitan Coffee and association with Old Brooklyn Recycles.
News from the 2021 season
Community Treats!
On Saturday afternoon, Oct. 3, 2021 (that would be All Hallows' Eve eve), Garden volunteers gave out nearly 400 "treat" bags on the Trick or Treat Trail. This free community event featuring games, food, crafts, dancing & more was sponsored by Gateway Church Old Brooklyn, Ben Franklin Community Garden, Old Brooklyn Families Group, Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation, MyCom Cleveland, Fusion. Marketing Group. Thanks to everyone who contributed to the day!
OBCDC Founders Award
The Garden received a Founders Award at the Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation annual meeting on October 26th at the Ariel Pearl Center. We appreciate this recognition from the organization and the kind words of Executive Director Jeff Verespej.
L-R: Greg Noeth, Jordan Abbott, Mark Tarpajna, Jennifer Terry,
Jeff Verespej
A perfect setting for a song!
With financial support from the Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation we were able to follow up our spring bluegrass concert with 6 more varied and special offerings! Thanks to everyone who had a part in putting together a terrific season! Looking forward to next year.
Key Bank
by Mark Tapajna
On September 14th Key Bank celebrated Neighbors Make a Difference Day and provided the Garden with around 18 volunteers. These hardworking volunteers assisted with the care of the garden by helping clear the overgrowth in our alley way, harvesting our Hunger Center potatoes and cleaning the roof and gutters of our garden shed. Every year Key Bank has been generous with allowing their employees to volunteer their time and efforts in our community garden. We want to extend a wonderful thanks to both for their generous contributions to the Ben Franklin Community Garden.
Annual Meeting 2021
Our traditional potluck luncheon and annual meeting were held on September 11th. As usual, lunch was delicious! Congratulations to our newly elected Operating Committee members: Renata Jelito, Bernadette Glorioso, Libby Lehman (3-year terms); Marie Mathie (2-year term; Eric Davenport (1-year term).
Eaton Corp & BVU
by Mark Tapajna
On August 11th & 12th of 2021 we were fortunate to have a group of volunteers from the Eaton Corporation come out to the Garden to assist us with a major project. This great group of volunteers, who were directed to us through the Business Volunteers Unlimited (BVU) program, assisted BFCG with building the foundational structure of our garden pavilion. BFCG was able to have the foundation for our pavilion constructed through generous funding received through the Neighbor Up program and the wood for the pavilion build was purchased through generous donations made to the our IOBY.
BFCG wants to gratefully thank the Eaton Corporation for allowing their employees to volunteer their time and efforts to this major addition to our community garden and to BVU for coordinating these volunteers. This year we were able to present a Summer Garden Concert Series with the addition of this facility and the support of Old Brooklyn Community Development Corp. Due to this new addition, we look forward to hosting many more events in the future to enrich the lives of our gardeners and the community as a whole.
Additional support from Neighbor Up!
The Garden has been awarded a $3,000 grant from the Circular Cleveland Community Grants, an initiative of Sustainable Cleveland and Cleveland Neighborhood Progress. We're pleased to be part of the local circular economy dealing with waste and regenerating our natural systems with composting. We congratulate our grants sub-committee members, headed up by Mark Tapajna, for their fine efforts this year. Everyone: please let us know about any funding opportunities you come across.
Tony Brancatelli to the rescue. HUGE thanks!
The vision was to celebrate BFCG's 40th anniversary in a new pavilion, a gathering place to enjoy safe, outdoor, socially-distanced entertainment and education (or just to relax in the shade). We had some seed funding plus used a crowd-funding effort to see it through. See ioby.org/project/ben-franklin-community-gardens-new-pavilion. And. Then. The cost of building materials soared and we fell short.
But. Now. We are thrilled to recognize a most generous donation of $10,000 from our Cleveland City Ward 12 Councilman, Anthony Brancatelli toward completion of the pavilion and associated improvements. Councilman Brancatelli has been an unfailing supporter of the Garden and now has become a genuine champion! Thank you, Tony!
Councilman Brancatelli (right) presents a donation for completion of the pavilion to Jennifer Terry and Mark Tapajna during an outdoor musical concert in the partially built structure.
What a difference these gifts have made!
Earlier in the season we reported the Neighbor Up COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant and Walmart Community Grant as well as the assistance from the Cleveland Foundation through Old Brooklyn Community Development Corp. Now, we’re so pleased to report that we have also been recipients of additional funding from these generous donors:
| Cuyahoga County Soil and Water Conservation District Conservation Action Grant (soil improvements $1,000) |  |
| Neighbor Up Community Garden and Farmers Market Grants (soil amendments, tools, improvement and seating in the pavilion area $1500) |  |
| Starbucks Foundation 2021 Neighborhood Grant $1000 Circular Cleveland Community Grants (“Renew the Earth” $3000) |  |
Thanks to these institutions for recognizing our efforts to make our community better and stronger. Thanks to our local Steelyards Starbucks Partners (employees) for nominating us to The Starbucks Foundation.
All Fired Up! Fundraiser – August 21 – Sachsenheim Hall
Huge thanks to everyone who helped make our All Fired Up! fundraiser a success and a truly lovely evening! We appreciate everyone who contributed prizes, bakery, and time! And thank you to everyone who attended! When you shop, please support the local businesses that donated prizes. Our generous donors:
| Craig Abram Acme Fresh Market African Safari Wildlife Park Keith Alberts Alcove Lounge Angelo's Pizza Jody & Tim Basich Barbara Boyd Boyert's Greenhouse & Farm Amy Branch Broadview & Schaaf Marathon Campbell's Sweet Factory Cierra Carter Characters Sports Bar & Grill Chuppa's Market Place Cleveland Jam Coffee Coffee Coffee Colozza's Bakery Danny Boy's Kathy Delaney DonGi's Pizzeria Five Guys Gabe's Family Restaurant Geig's Orchard Gus's Family Restaurant Guys Pizza Co. Parma Kim Hageman Harry's Steak House Heart to Heart Pet Grooming Home Depot Honey Hut Ice Cream Kim Johnson Jim & Audrey Kasper Paul Kazmierczak Kathy Keough |
Sue Koetter–Mary Kay Consultant Renee Kolecki Dave Kuebler Lowe's Home Improvement Malley's Chocolates Metropolitan Coffee Mitchell's Homemade Ice Cream Greg Noeth Nothing Bundt Cakes Old Brooklyn Cheese Company Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation Old Brooklyn Greenhouse Old Brooklyn Recycles Opal on Pearl Mary Pavlyshyn Elicia Polacek Profiles Creative Hair Center Rakauskas Architecture Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews Kathryn Reiter Kim Repinski Sachsenheim Hall Tom Sargent Sixth City Cycles Speed Exterminating Co. Mary Ellen Stasek Judy Sutherland Mark Tapajna Tavern of Independence Jennifer Terry Lynn Thomas Vino Veritas Cellars Winery Wilson Feed Mill Lisa Young Jeff & Laryssa Ziolkowski Renee Zupanic |
Score! Our Blue-Ribbon Garden!
Ben Franklin Community Garden was awarded a well-deserved blue ribbon in the 2021 Cuyahoga County Fair! Our display was lush, bountiful, and artfully constructed and arranged (just like the Garden!). Thank you: Frank & Calista Bajorek, Barbara Boyd, Wayne & Amy Carter, Eric & Jessica Davenport, Ann Marie Hannah, Renetta Jelito, Jim Kasper, Ken Keckler, Greg Noeth, Elicia Polacek, Kathryn Reiter, Tom Sargent, Mark Tapanja, & Jennifer Terry.
Garden -IN- the news
Many thanks to Jenna Jordan for the Spectrum News1 story featuring the Garden but starring two of our gardeners, young in age but well-seasoned in experience. Enjoy!
https://spectrumnews1.com/oh/cleveland/news/2021/06/08/cleveland-community-garden-produces-interest-in-produce
A little BIG help from our friends! In appreciation:
Neighbor Up COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant
We have been approved for a $5,000 Neighbor Up COVID-19 Rapd Response Grant through Neighborhood Connections! This grant program was launched to help groups and organizations respond to emergency and basic needs requests, provide support for operations, and/or reduce social isolation. We're looking toward the benefits of getting together safely outdoors with the community. To that end, we have earmarked the funding for the building of a gazebo which will allow us to have an outdoor gathering place for diverse programming.This grant will get the project off the ground (or, really, "on the ground") and we are following up with a crowdfunding campaign at ioby.org/project/ben-franklin-community-gardens-new-pavilion for the rest of the cost.
Walmart Community Grant 2020
We are honored to to have been selected again for a Walmart Community Grant. We are receiving $500.00 from Facility # 2073, the Walmart Supercenter at 10000 Brookpark Road. The grant will be used for soil improvement. We our grateful for the continued support of our work in the community and we're pleased to recognize Walmart’s commitment to giving back to the communities where they operate. Be sure to give a "thanks" if you're shopping there!
A New and Improved Tractor!
We have a new tractor! It's a 2015 New Holland Workmaster 37 with a front end loader and horsepower nearly double that of our old tractor. That may not mean a lot to most of us, but to Greg it means a bunch! He says that compared to our old Kioti, it's like driving a Lexus!. It should provide us with the means to maintain and improve the Ben Franklin Community Garden for years to come.
We were able to make the purchase with a generous grant from the Cleveland Foundation, in partnership with OBCDC, a donation from the M.A.D Club, and with funds raised and donated by our Garden Committee and our gardeners. We thank all of you who have donated your time, supported our fundraisers and made donations to the garden. Your generosity has made this purchase possible.
News from the 2020 season
Milk Jug Seed Starting Demo
Watch gardener (and newly elected Committee member) Jim Kasper demonstrate how to start next year's plants at home this winter. It works!
Live Music in the Garden 2020
What a pleasure to have two live music concerts in the Garden this September! On two glorious late summer days! On Saturday, the 12th, violinist Ariel Clayton Karas performed a morning mix of Irish fiddle, jazz, and classical music with a "nature" lean. This was one of OPUS 216's "Front Yard" concerts and a great way to start the day..
In the evening on Saturday, the 19th we had a performance by Cellocentric, "classical meets Jazz, Folk, & World Music, featuring Guitar, Bassoon, and Cello.” The trio is guitarist Doug Wood, cellist Carolina Borja, and bassoonist (and Benji gardener) Arleigh Savage.
Jam and Honey Sales
Thanks to everyone who purchased our jam and honey. We hope you will enjoy it in good health! We hope to announce additional product availability soon.
Virtual Fundraiser Raffle Sept. 12
Loads of thanks to everyone who participated in our virtual fundraiser — our donors, volunteers, and ticket buyers. Congratulations to all the winners!
Ice Cream Social
Thanks to everyone who attended the Ice Cream Social To-Go. Much appreciation to Honey Hut for their contribution.
Thanks also for purchasing raffle tickets and merch at the event. Keep it going! All proceeds go to the operation of the Garden.
Thanks also to everyone who made a "Card of Cheer" or donated extra blank cards.
With the help of the 2020 West Schaaf Gallery+Studio family and the Metropolitan Coffee family we were able to finish our quota of 186 cards donated. 
Broadview Multi Care Center was extremely appreciative and are excited to share the cards with their patients. A thank you to Debra from Broadview Multi Care who will handle delivery of the cards.
Walmart Community Grant 2019
We are honored to to have been selected for a 2019 Walmart Community Grant. We received $1000.00 from Facility # 2073, the Walmart Supercenter at 10000 Brookpark Road. This funding brought in a load of soil to help replenish our garden. We our grateful for this support of our work in the community. We're pleased to recognize Walmart’s commitment to giving back to the communities where they operate. Be sure to give a "thanks" if you're shopping there!
Older news and notes
Garden T-shirts
Limited sizes/numbers of our t-shirts are still available. Get 'em while they last!
Cost = $15. All proceeds benefit Garden operations.
| Women's tank 2 - size L 2 - size XL  |
Women's v-neck 1 - size Sm. 1 - size Med.  |
| Men's sleeveless 6 - size L 6 - size XL 3 - size 2XL  |
Men's crew |
| There are a limited number of older edition shirts. White: 2 - size Sm 8 - size L 2 - size 3XL Yellow: 2 - size Sm 1 - size Med |
 |
Congresswoman Kaptur visits the Garden
The opening of the 2018 Garden on Saturday, May 26th, was a special event—not only because it seemed the rains would never stop and the opening would never come. We were privileged to have a visit from Marcy Kaptur, U.S. Representative from Ohio’s Ninth Congressional District, who toured our Garden and addressed the gardeners in attendance. Congresswoman Kaptur is a proponent of local, urban food production and advocate for affordable access to healthy food including fresh produce. Congresswoman Kaptur has a self-described passion for agriculture and has made initiatives regarding the issue of agriculture among her legislative priorities. Cleveland Council President Kevin Kelley and Ward 12 Councilman Tony Brancatelli also attended. It was an honor to host our elected officials and show off our "digs." Thank you, all! You're invited back any time to see how the Garden grows!
Get all the latest Garden alerts right on your phone
We're using Remind, a text messaging app, to communicate announcements and reminders quickly and efficiently — straight to your phone. It's simple! Join by texting @bfcgarden to 81010. You don’t need a smartphone, just any phone that can receive text messages. (Your service's mobile messaging rates may apply.) DETAILS HERE.
The M.A.D. Club
M.A.D. (Make a Difference) club is "an organization of students working together to build enthusiasm within their school and outside community by joining in a movement of creative ideas and volunteer time in order to make a positive difference in the lives of others." The Club currently has chapters at Gilmour Academy, Padua Franciscan High School, and Mentor High School. The 2018 season will be our third season with student volunteers from M.A.D. who recruit sponsors and plant, tend, and harvest Hunger Center plots along with performing other volunteer tasks at the Garden.
Check out their website to learn more about M.A.D. Here's a video they made to "recap last year's season full of fun, sunshine, potatoes and service":
BFCG as the centerfold!
See the feature article about the Garden in the Old Brooklyn News March 2018 quarterly issue: http://bit.ly/2oY5qhl
"Putting Waste to Work" – KeyBank article
Featured on the KeyBank website is an article about Key employee and BFCG gardener Paul Kazmierczak and the Key-Rust Belt Riders food waste-composting initiative at the Garden. Read it at https://www.key.com/about/key2cleveland/quality-of-life/composting.jsp.
Bees and Pollinator Garden
In 2016 we became beekeepers with the acquisition of two hives. They have been placed in an enclosure at the end of the asphalt path. Nearby is a new pollinator garden plot of flowers – all perennial, native plants. The Garden Coordinator and other members of the Operating Committee took beginning beekeeping classes from the Greater Cleveland Beekeepers Association, where the Garden is now a member. The initial bee and garden installations were funded by a grant to the Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation. See more about the Old Brooklyn Pollinator & Habitat Project here.
"Recipes from the Garden" cookbook
Copies are still available of “Recipes from the Garden” for just $10. The cookbook is sold at garden events throughout the year. It may also be purchased at the Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation office (2339 Broadview Road).
The garden would like to thank the following businesses for providing monetary support to offset the price of printing: Honey Hut Ice Cream, M&W Meats and the Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation.