The next time you are stuck in traffic along the Route 302 corridor in Raymond, idly tapping the steering wheel and cursing the enveloping rat race, take a quick gander at the brilliant panoply of flowers that grace the side of the road-it just might make your day, and…well, make that time in the car a little more pleasant.
“Our goal is to keep all the gardens maintained to a higher level,” said Sharon Dodson of the Raymond Beautification Committee, who runs the “Adopt-a-Garden” program in Raymond.
The volunteer group, “Walk ‘n’ Weeders,” started by the Beautification Committee as part of an initiative to revamp the heavily traveled corridor, walk the length of Route 302 from the Raymond Beach to the shopping center, checking to make sure the gardens adopted by area businesses are properly maintained.
The gardens have been placed along the sidewalks, around streetlights and parking lots-an attempt by the committee to combat the unappealing features of urban sprawl in Raymond.
If weather permits, the group meets every Friday at 8 a.m. near Sunset Variety in Raymond. Dodson appeals to Raymond residents for more volunteers, whose toils include removing trash and dead plant material, turning over mulch and weeding.
“Sometimes there’s eight of us, sometimes there’s two. We definitely need more,” she said.
Linda Manchester, co-owner of Good Life Market, adopted her store’s garden in 2003. She had already begun to plant her own garden before she came in contact with the Beautification Committee.
“We wanted to have a nice presentation for our store. When the Beautification Committee started, we wanted to help-it was an extension of what we wanted to do,” she said.
Manchester is among 35 local business owners who have taken the initiative to beautify the Route 302 corridor.
“We put in some begonias this year,” Manchester said. “When the town put the gardens in they put some nice perennials, which gives a good backdrop for whatever you want to plant. The presentation in general gives Raymond a warm atmosphere that many of us appreciate.”
Another adoptee, Jessica Fay, owner of Raymond Village Florist, said the garden, however small, helps to soften the harsh concrete landscape of the highway.
“For me, it’s more than just a garden. I think it’s beautiful. It’s certainly much nicer than what was there before, which was nothing,” Fay said. “Being in a business that deals with aesthetics, I think it’s lovely.”
Town Clerk Louise Lester commended the hard work of the Beautification Committee, saying, “I think their efforts have encouraged businesses to spruce up their appearance. It’s put a brighter look on the town, and it’s more inviting. This committee has been amazing. They set out to plant two miles of gardens and they’ve done it.”
Trina Bowdish, who recently moved to Raymond and who participates regularly on Fridays, weeding and pruning the areas left over by local businesses, said weeding is an opportunity to meet and get to know people in the community.
“It also gives me a sense of pride,” she said. “Gardening gives you a great feeling of accomplishment.”
Shirley Bloom, another member of the Walk ‘n’ Weeders, said the gardens offer a more rural, less commercial atmosphere, a draw for summer tourists.
“It adds a home-town feeling. It’s worth the work if people appreciate the result.”
About half of the gardens have been adopted so far, and if a business is interested in an application to adopt, or would like more information about the program, they can contact the town office at 655-4742.
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