This post is a reprint of a post that originally appeared at Art Enables's Facebook Wall.
It's a short work week, but mark your calendar: Thursday, May 30th, we've got a *free* artist talk with Matt Sesow & Dana Ellyn discussing their exhibit, "Domesticated"! 6-8 pm at Art Enables' Off-Rhode Studio!
This post is a reprint of a post that originally appeared at Art Enables's Facebook Wall.
Art Enables is closed for Memorial Day. Thank you to all those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
This post is a reprint of a post that originally appeared at Art Enables's Facebook Wall.
Everyone is tired of this rainy weather and ready for summer already! Here's Violet Lucas' "Beach Mirror" to get you in the weekend frame of mind.
This post is a reprint of a post that originally appeared at Art Enables's Facebook Wall.
What are you doing this Memorial Day weekend? Take an imaginary trip to the shore with "Shell" by Paul McGown.
This post is a reprint of a post that originally appeared at Accokeek Foundation.
Godiva, one of our spring Hog Island Sheep lambs.
If you love animals and would like to spend a few hours each week working on the farm, join the Livestock Farmhands volunteer team on Saturday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm to assist with the successful management of our Heritage Livestock Program. Volunteers will work closely with staff members to help feed, clean the barn, repair livestock fencing, clear brush, maintain pasture and barnyard areas, and more.
Livestock Farmhands also assist the livestock team during lambing and calving season, help with spring sheep shearing, and assist in the fall at the Charles County Fair. The animals we manage as part of our program are: American Milking Devon Cattle, Black Turkeys, Hog Island Sheep, Ossabaw Hogs, and various heritage chickens including Buckeyes. No previous experience is necessary to join, but volunteers must be comfortable around large animals and animals with horns.
If you are interested in becoming a part of the Livestock Farmhands team, please e-mail the Volunteer Coordinator, Casey, at volunteers@accokeek.org.
For more information on this volunteer program, check out the Position Description.
This post is a reprint of a post that originally appeared at Art Enables's Facebook Wall.
Our spring fundraising letters are going out today! If you're a shoe lover, be sure to open that envelope, as we have a batch of shoe stickers that will make your day. Thanks to Nova Label Company for their support of our fundraiser!
This post is a reprint of a post that originally appeared at Art Enables's Facebook Wall.
Our spring fundraising letters are going out today! If you're a shoe lover, be sure to open that envelope, as we have a batch of shoe stickers that will make your day. Thanks to Nova Label Company for their support of our fundraiser! This post is a reprint of a post that originally appeared at Accokeek Foundation.
In January, a young man named Ian (the son of one of our bluebird monitors) contacted us to see if he could do his Eagle Scout Service Project at the foundation. I had just attended my cousin’s Court of Honor ceremony and I was so impressed with everything he did in order to achieve the rank that I was really excited to get the chance to work with Ian. Ian did not disappoint, and less than four months later, we have an absolutely beautifully renovated Event Kitchen to share with our visitors as we head into our busiest season.
When we first started meeting with Ian, we presented him with several things on site in desperate need of attention–broken and rotting bird blinds, certain sections of trail, the pavilion, and our Event Kitchen. Luckily for us, he decided to go with the biggest project, and the one that we needed the most help with–the renovation of our Event Kitchen. It would be a huge undertaking and require a lot of manpower, but Ian entered the planning phase of his project with the goal of a late spring completion date.
Over the next couple months, Ian spent 25 hours planning and preparing for the project. He completed an incredibly detailed project proposal, calculated the amount of material that would need to be ordered, planned for tools and other supplies, and recruited a group of volunteers that would help with the renovation on the two days he designated for the project–April 27 and May 4.
A total of 24 volunteers showed up over two days and put in about 185 hours to completely re-side and stain the entire building. It was not all smooth sailing, and Ian and Matt worked together to figure out what to do about rotted posts, bent door hinges, and a variety of other surprise challenges, but we made it through under Ian’s guidance and somehow managed to finish in those two days. I cannot speak highly enough about the amount of time and the quality of the work that Ian put in to his project with us, and we will forever be grateful that he chose us for his project.
Check out the photos below to see the Event Kitchen’s amazing transformation over two weekends:
A “before” shot of the siding
The demolition phase begins!
Pulling off the old siding was fairly quick work…Now on to the hard part!
First side is on and ready to be stained
Beginning of Day 2–Starting off with a safety briefing
Almost finished with the siding
Ian overseeing one of our biggest challenges–the doors
The Survivors celebrating the end of Day 2
The finished Event Kitchen–isn’t she beautiful?
Thank you again to Ian and all of the volunteers who came out on April 27 and May 4 to make this transformation possible. I had so much fun being a part of this project and the time and skill you dedicated to it is truly remarkable.
This post is a reprint of a post that originally appeared at Accokeek Foundation.
To commemorate their 40th Anniversary, Denison Landscaping is giving back to the communities it serves by conducting 40 in-kind landscaping projects to be completed throughout the year.
As a part of this “40 Green Initiatives” project, the Accokeek Foundation was selected to identify a landscaping project on site that would improve its daily operations. After discussing the various needs of the site with members of the Denison staff, installing an irrigation system in the Accokeek Foundation’s Museum Garden was identified as the project. Maintained with the help of volunteers, the Museum Garden is an educational space filled with modern and heirloom herbs, flowers, and vegetables. This quiet spot on Cedar Lane is used as a venue for educational programs, workshops, and performances, and is designed to teach visitors about agriculture and the environment on a small scale.
David Bise, Denison Landscaping’s irrigation specialist, brought his team to the garden last Thursday to work on the project. Through initial survey of the garden they discovered waterlines that had been installed many years ago but had not been used in at least 20 years. Luckily, through the expertise of Bise and his team, they were able to get the previous system working with minimal disruption to the garden and by utilizing the resources already in place. They updated the original system by replacing a couple of pipes and installing two additional quick couplers to ensure accurate irrigation throughout the garden.
The project was completed in less than a day and with great accuracy and persistence. The everyday tending to the Museum Garden is now a much simpler and less time consuming task. The Accokeek Foundation is proud to have been a part of this commemoration of 40 years of business for Denison Landscaping.
Denison Landscaping and Nursery, Inc. was formed in 1973 and has grown from a three-man operation into one of the most successful landscaping companies in the Mid-Atlantic region. Denison Landscaping is a family owned business and they strive to maintain a people-oriented philosophy that will ensure the delivery of the quality landscaping product their customers expect and deserve.
Presently, they own and operate growing nurseries totaling over 700 acres. They also own a 9 acre wholesale facility in Southern Maryland and a 40 acre Garden Center/Nursery in Fort Washington, Maryland.
This post is a reprint of a post that originally appeared at Art Enables's Facebook Wall.
Looks like someone enjoyed this weekend's summer movie blockbuster - Paul wants you all to "Live Long and Prosper"!