I’m starting to notice a pretty awesome movement underway. For lack of a better description, I’ll call it refarming our cities. Yesterday, Del Aire Park in unincorporated LA County, just reopened after a $4 million renovation. Sure, the gym, community center, and general park facilities were all updated and improved, which is great. But two other great things took place during this renovation – California’s first public fruit orchard was opened and the park is being dedicated to the life of a fallen soldier, U.S. Army Specialist Daniel Patrick Cagle.
With the assistance of the community group Fallen Fruit (www.fallenfruit.org), the local community now has a public fruit orchard. While Del Aire Park is a long bike ride from Valmonte, I am reminded of the joint efforts by Enrich LA and the PVUSD in creating the Valmonte Farm and Nature Garden at Valmonte Elementary. These efforts to bring the farm back to the city, while certainly not a new concept, are much needed links to having a better appreciation of where our food comes from. When you look around the entire LA Area, especially here on the Peninsula, you can trace our roots back to LA’s farming past, and find inspiration in the historic local food movement. It’s about time we get back to supplementing our food sources with our own backyard gardens, fruit trees, and simply sharing with our neighbors.
Finally, what a great way to celebrate the life of one of our fallen soldiers, by dedicating the very park that he grew up in to his honor.
(Special thanks to the Daily Breeze for reporting on the dedication of the Del Aire Park).
