🌻 A Perfect Day for Harvest Fest at Maxwell Street Garden

On Saturday, September 21, 2025, Maxwell Street Community Garden hosted its annual Harvest Fest, a celebration that has been bringing neighbors together for over a decade. What began as a cloudy, overcast morning quickly turned into a perfect fall day, and we were especially thankful for the big tents that offered plenty of shade once the sun came out!

From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., about 60 community members joined in the fun — including residents from Barbara Jean Wright, ABLA, and Roosevelt Square, along with gardeners, families, SISTAMom’s partners, and our 012 Community Police Officers. It was truly a beautiful mix of familiar faces and new friends coming together to enjoy the season’s bounty.

🎨 Activities & Local Vendors

The garden buzzed with laughter and creativity throughout the day. Kids (and a few adults!) enjoyed rock and mini pumpkin painting, pumpkin ring toss, and nerf catch games.

Chocolate Rainbow Crochet showcased a colorful collection of handmade accessories, while the Garden table offered a range of special treats — fresh honey and honeycomb, hand-painted notecards by resident artist Anne Farley Gaines, and free dental supplies generously donated by new gardener Dr. Jay Bloom.

Each guest received a raffle ticket for a chance to win three themed gift baskets, beautiful chrysanthemums, or even a child’s bike — all donated by generous community members.

🌭 Food & Festive Flavors

No Harvest Fest is complete without great food, and this year’s menu didn’t disappoint! Guests enjoyed a delicious spread of hot dogs, Chef Jorgina’s Chicken Sinha Wraps, pasta salad, corn and bean salad, garden greens, chips, and an assortment of homemade sweet treats (the cookies were a crowd favorite!).

🌼 Garden Decor & Autumn Touches

The garden looked especially festive, decorated with colorful chrysanthemums (courtesy of gardener Adam Sterbis) and mini scarecrows that brought a cheerful fall touch to every corner. Pumpkins added to the autumn charm — some used for games, others for decoration.

🙌 Thank You to Our Volunteers & Partners

Harvest Fest wouldn’t have been possible without the many volunteers and community partners who helped make the day a success — from setting up tents and food tables to preparing raffle prizes and activities.

A special thank you goes out to:

• Mike Stuart of Stuart Events & Productions for arriving early to set up those much-needed tents

• Chef Jorgina from Sinha Elegant Brazilian Cuisine for creating a brand-new wrap entree just for our event

• Everyone who donated raffle items, prepared food, and pitched in to make the event seamless and joyful

🎶 Wrapping Up

Between the perfect weather, good mix-tape tunes, great food, and wonderful people, this year’s Harvest Fest was another reminder of what makes Maxwell Street Garden so special — a place where community grows right alongside the flowers and vegetables.

We’re already looking forward to next year’s celebration! 🌿✨