Taking Care of T’burg helps the village look its best in spring

Taking Care of T’burg (TCoT), a group of dedicated volunteers that keeps the village’s greenery and public areas clean and looking beautiful, is helping community pride blossom in Trumansburg.

The group, which meets every month, helps to maintain the village’s gardens on Main Street, as well as making sure the “Kids Village” in front of the laundromat on Main Street is in tip-top shape. But perhaps they are best known for mounting the dazzling display of planters that adorn downtown from the Farmers Market area to the Masonic Lodge at 59 E. Main St. from spring to around Thanksgiving.

For Marlaine Darfler, who has been volunteering with the group for several years, TCoT means more than just work.

“[Our work] makes us an integral part of the rhythm of the village itself,” Darfler said. “We start out in the spring by planning what flowers to plant, cleaning out the gardens and getting the planter boxes out on Main Street. We then nurture them and water them and watch them grow all season. Then, almost too quickly, we start the process of putting things back to sleep, closing things down, and we end our season with decorating the Mini Village for Winterfest. It’s a very special way to feel connected to the life of the village.”

This year, the group has been working with the village to secure a grant for a new electric watering system to tend to the planters.

“This eases the watering burden hugely for us,” Darfler said. “Watering will happen in teams of two, with each team taking a week or two during the 20-week watering season.”

Business owners across Main Street also often volunteer to water the plants in front of their businesses, she added. This type of collaboration, Darfler said, is indicative of how TCoT’s mission brings people together.

“This system worked very well last year, and we are thankful to the merchants for their good care of these plants,” she said. “The real thing is, it does take a village to keep the village beautiful. It doesn’t happen with just a few of us. There is such a wonderful connection between different parts of the community.”

TCoT’s mission also involves others in the village. For instance, all of the plants for the planter boxes are grown locally by Don and Darlene Schlather, the owners of Sommarstuga Gardens. The Trumansburg Department of Public Works transports the planters out onto the street and back into storage.

This year, the planters will also be new. Darfler said the group commissioned local craftsman Alexander Spano to create 33 new ones for downtown. 

“They will be cedar, like the old ones, and of very similar design,” Darfler said. “The old boxes were lovingly made by volunteers over 20 years ago. They have lots of history and still some life left.”

TCoT has also been working with other groups in the village to keep moving toward being a bee-friendly community by planting more native pollinators and perennials, along with learning which plants will thrive in the hotter, drier summers the village has been experiencing. 

Another project Darfler said is exciting — and a prime opportunity for community involvement — is the group’s new native garden plot in front of the Tompkins Community Bank building on West Main Street. 

The group will also expand its monthly Saturday work days to include helping with projects at the Trumansburg Conservatory of Fine Arts and the pollinator garden by the village’s water tower. 

As the group prepares to celebrate the arrival of flora in the village’s downtown, TCoT is organizing its yearly “Plant the Planters” pizza party. This year’s event will be on May 23. The old planters, Darfler said, will be given away on a first-come, first-served basis at the Trumansburg Farmers Market on April 20.

Monthly Saturday work days will begin May 4 at the Mini Village and go through the beginning of October.

“Bring along gloves and basic garden tools if you have them,” Darfler said, encouraging interested residents. “Families are welcome. No experience necessary.”

Interested parties can find the group on Facebook at Takincareoftburg.

Ulysses Connection appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com. Contact Eddie Velazquez at edvel37@gmail.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @ezvelazquez.

In brief:

The Ulysses Philomathic Library is preparing its annual spring book sale, which will run from April 18-21. The selection of titles will span genres such as history, romance, travel, cooking and mystery.

During the sale, the library will change its daily hours of operation:

• April 18th:  8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
• April 19: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• April 20: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
• April 21: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  

For more information, visit trumansburglibrary.org or facebook.com/ulyssesphilomathiclibrary, or email Trustee Susan Thomas at sthomas@trumansburglibrary.org.