Thank You for a Beautiful Sundown in the Sukkah

by emoorheadwallace

Thank you to everyone who came out to harvest, color, craft, and celebrate the season together in the Garden of Celebration. Seeing the sukkah full of neighbors, music, and people leaving with their own dried plant arrangements was exactly the evening we dreamed of when this project began.

Gratitude Where It’s Due

Thank you to our most recent donations whose generosity continues to carry this project forward: to Terri and Earl Moorhead, for your continued support of Chagigah Shel Gina; to the Goldberg family, for a gift that’s a meaningful step toward completing the sculpture; to the Jacobson family, for being part of this with us; and to Tina Holland for believing in our message. We’re grateful for each of you.

Where We Stand

The garden is built and thriving. What’s left is the Chagigah Shel Gina sculpture, a steel artwork and functional play structure shaped from drawings our community created together. To finish fabrication, installation, and signage, we’re still working to raise $9,300. If this garden has meant something to you, we’d love your help closing that gap; through a donation/sponsorships, or by signing up to volunteer at our next garden work day (date TBD). Contact newrootstn@gmail.com for volunteer info. Select “Garden of Celebrations” under Make a Donation to KJA. All contributions are welcome!

From the Garden: Sumac Tea

Sukkot is a harvest festival, and this year’s gathering leaned all the way into that spirit, visitors picked herbs straight from the beds and made their own flower arrangements to take home. We also harvested sumac berries growing right in the garden and turned them into tea: cut the ripe clusters, steep in cool water for about a day (no boiling, it keeps the flavor gentler), then strain and sweeten to taste. I followed Artful Homemaking’s sumac tea recipe for the method and for tips on identifying sumac safely.

Thank you again to everyone who made this Sukkot celebration what it was. We can’t wait to keep building this garden with you.

With gratitude,
Emily Moorhead-Wallace and J Taylor Wallace
New Roots Art Services