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This is an example of what organizers will be working to build on the property.

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The lot is on the corner of Lamar Street and Martin Luther King Drive. Multiple groups are coming together to create a community garden on the property.

Harmony Park: Organizers creating community garden that will beautify area, get youth involved in planting

Positive change never happens overnight; it starts with planting a seed that is nurtured over time.
There are people in Abbeville who want to see that positive change, and they are ready to plant, literally.
Multiple groups are coming together to create “Harmony Park.” The community garden will be located at 820 S. Lamar St. in Abbeville, a property adjudicated to the city in 2008, and is eligible to serve a public purpose.
Keep Abbeville Beautiful’s Charlene Beckett said a donation by Mrs. Phallie Sellers from the Community Foundation of Acadiana, Vermilion Chapter, helped get this project going.
“We received the donation for seed money to create a community garden,” Beckett said during Tuesday night’s Abbeville City Council meeting. “It will be located on the corner of South Lamar and Martin Luther King Drive, because that is the property that the city already owns.”
Keep Abbeville Beautiful (KAB) is just one of the groups involved in the creation of the community garden. Joining the effort is the newly formed iCreate, the Abbeville Garden Club, Abbeville Councilwoman Terry Broussard, whose district includes the lot Harmony Park will call home, and neighborhood volunteers. A committee has been formed to oversee the project. Experts with the LSU AgCenter are also guiding the group.
“The plans to develop a community garden at 820 S. Lamar are underway with all of this support,” Beckett said. “The committee has agreed that there is a need and a desire to beautify and create the garden. The garden will include various fruit trees, vegetables and bedding plants.”
The property is in the process of being cleared and an assessment is being made to designate areas for a Healing Garden with flowering plants, fruit trees, 15 raised vegetable beds, a compost bin and a shed to store the items.
Terry Broussard said this is something she has long wanted to see come to fruition.
“Community gardens allow for the creation of social ties and build a greater feeling of community,” Terry Broussard said. “The garden is part of the beautification project I’ve been focused on. Though we’re in the early stages, I’m feeling excited. I’m equally excited to have citizens from the community give their time, and a huge thank you to The Community Foundation of Acadiana Vermilion Chapter.”
James Broussard, part of the iCreate group, said on Tuesday that this is a worthwhile project. Broussard previously spoke to the Rotary Club of Abbeville and the Kiwanis Club of Abbeville about the garden.
“It is a good opportunity to not only beautify the community,” James Broussard said, “but it is something that we can all be proud to be a part of.
“We are hoping to connect with different people throughout the community.”
That includes people with gardening experience.
“We’re looking for people who have a green thumb,” James Broussard said.
James Broussard, who has worked with youth as part of the city’s Biddy Basketball league, said a major goal of this project is to have youth involved.
“We want to get them interested in something,” Broussard said, “that is a healthy thing to do, from a nutrition standpoint, but also gets them outside and helps the area look better.
“We hope this will be the first of many (gardens) throughout the city.”
Councilwoman Broussard agreed that having youth involved is extremely important.
“We want to make sure that we involve the youth,” she said. “We want to have kids out there.”
Anyone who wants to get involved by giving time and or donations can contact Beckett at (337) 652-2239 or by email at abbevillemainstreet@cox-internet.com. People can also adopt beds in the garden.
“We have discussed soliciting donations to create the beds, and once constructed, individuals or families can adopt a raised bed or volunteer to assist in the success of the garden. Once adopted, they will be provided with the garden plot, water, mulch, compost and gardening information.”

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