As we were preparing for the painting party, Inside Columbia Magazine found out about it and sent a staff reporter to add it to their "neighborhood report":
North Central Columbia
“Better to be a first-rate version of yourself than a second-rate version of someone else.”
Judy Garland’s quote is printed carefully in bright orange letters. They cover just a small portion of the picnic table that Zach Rubin crafted from salvaged 2-by-4s.
In July, Rubin and his partner, Shea Boresi, waterproofed the table and placed it near the grapevines at the alley entrance of the Circus-Lyon garden, where the couple grows cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and herbs. Boresi immediately recognized the white surface as a canvas for creativity. She sent an e-mail to neighbors and asked them to help paint the table one Sunday evening. “I hope you all can come at this time and put your own mark on this new garden fixture!” she wrote.
The message prompted a wave of neighborhood activity in the block just south of Jefferson Junior High School: dedicated gardeners volunteered to whack weeds and spread wood chips in preparation for the art extravaganza. Boresi provided paint and lemonade, which was accompanied by drinks and desserts from about 15 other neighbors.
“We have a great group of gardeners, including some notably creative people,” she says. “There’s a lot of casual socializing, but until the table there was no place to rest or to linger for a conversation. Now we can just hang out in the garden.”
http://www.insidecolumbia.net/1682/2010/08/a-beautiful-day-in-the-neighborhood/
Have some old 2x4s? With a little imagination and some sweat they can be saved from the dumpster and made useful again.
- Zach
