Our first hoop house build took place on Rosa Parks Blvd. in Detroit last Saturday, on Greg Willerer’s Brother Nature Produce farm, from early morning until we lost the light. We completed nearly every part of the installation– a pretty amazing feat for one day! It looks like we will finish by pulling the plastic this Sunday afternoon–check back for details.
Over forty, yes FORTY volunteers showed up through the day and evening to make the hoop go from an idea on paper (and a truck full of metal and plastic) to a beautiful reality with enthusiasm, team work, relentless energy and, of course, delicious food! Our volunteers are mind boggling wonderful–not only did they show up to work, many brought delicious food to keep us all going.
Big, big thanks to Kevin Hawkins, Tomm Brewer, Joanna Campbell, Chad Pratt, Trilby Macdonald, Jon Brewster, Sara Schlotterbeck, Mindy Matice, Max and Ulisses Porto, Laurel, Pax, Rosalie & Gabriel MaGuire, Larry Thompson, Ryan Hudson, Mike Cicerone, Brandi Trapp, Heidi Kumao, Michael Szuberla, Priyanka Pathak, Sunny Kawenski, Kip Koschell, Ingrid Rousseau, Blair Carlson, Kevin Bingham, Lynette Gaitskill, Olivia May, Garin Fons, Matt Burton, Shannon Brines, Adam Fu, Shannon Riffe, Max and Rich Klarman, Brother Nature Produce boss Greg Willerer and his helpers Anika, Mia, Sierra, Nate and John.
Thanks too, to local photographer Myra Klarman and film maker Jonathon Swain for documenting our efforts throughout the day. Stay tuned for their creativity!
Sure, it was a long day of physical labor, organizational challenge and some logistical juggling, but it was also tremendously gratifying and fun. Please consider coming out to our next build on August 15, and be part of making fresh harvest available all year ’round for our community.
Here are a few photos that give just a little feeling of the tremendous enthusiasm and energy present on Greg Willerer’s urban prairie.
~Lisa & Jeff
hoop house site
preparing the site for installation
some of the many hoop house parts
Jeff preparing a jig to put the structural bows together
pounding in the structural support posts
installing the bows and baseboards
adding the supports
taking a break
the long view
and let's not forget the food! home made pizza with fresh garden toppings
2 Comments
I am really glad to hear about folks doing good things in Detroit. I am proud of folks from our area who went out…too many Ann Arbor people are reluctant (to put it in the nicest way) to head east. (You should hear comments I get when I share where I teach school…one day, I am going to make them into haikus and put them into a book )
Great job, folks
My only son left for college and I’m finding myself with alot of empty time. I’m gainfully employed but I could use an additional purpose in life and would especially like to get involved in some time of group or entity having to do with Detroit re-vitalization. I’d love to know more about Greg’s urban farm and if there was some way I could help or get involved. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks!