On Saturday, October 22, the Hamilton commu­nity came together to enjoy an afternoon of music and food at the Community Garden by the New­ell Apartments. The garden was an idea started in 2001 when a member of Green Thumbs, a student club devoted to sus­tainable agriculture at Colgate, had the idea. However, only in 2008 did the idea turn into a reality.

After a proposal was written for an en­vironmental issues class, the garden was approved. Its purpose is to encourage purchasing locally and organically grown food. It provides sustainable agriculture to campus dining and provides Sodexo, Colgate’s catering service, with fresh pro­duce. The produce is also used for catering events and is given to garden volunteers and sold at a veg­etable stand.

When the Class of 2010 donated its senior class gift to sustainability, the garden was able to get the financ­ing it needed and is managed by stu­dents with the help of Green Thumbs’s advisory committee.

The open house included a tour of the half-acre garden and students and community mem­bers were allowed to pick the last of the vegetables, including radishes. The people gathering at the gar­den also got to experience several singing groups and bands while eating appetizers from Hamilton Whole Foods.

Contact Maddy Tennis at [email protected].