Seniors celebrate Earth Day with garden party

Seniors at the New Merkel House once again celebrated Earth Day by planting the summer garden in front of the community center.

While Earth Day was officially on April 22, the annual Garden Party — which seniors have been holding to celebrate the day for the last few years — took place on April 20, and in addition to planting tomatoes, peppers and herbs, seniors tried their hand at garden-themed trivia, word-find games and other activities.

NMH manager Melanie Perry said she wanted to thank the parks and recreation staff for helping prepare the garden beds.

The city, she said, supports local, family-owned businesses, and demonstrated that by purchasing the supplies for the summer planting from Murphree’s Market and Garden Center, a farm market and nursery that is down the street from the New Merkel House.