Girl Scout troop perks up park with zinnias

ALTON — Alton Girl Scout troop 63776 beautified Ginny Douglas Park this spring, scrubbing a monument to Douglas, raking and clearing rocks from an area where a spruce tree was removed and planting a semicircle of zinnias.

Now, those driving by the traffic island where Old Wolfeboro Road meets Main Street in Alton have a view of beauty.

If you visit Ginny Douglas Park today you will see a profusion of colorful zinnias blooming among a newly planted hedge of Rosa Rugosa, zinnias highlighting a new daylily garden and more zinnias and cosmos planted by the Girl Scouts.

Grass grows in an area that was once barren and the pink quartz marker shines in the summer sun.

The revitalized park has benefited not only from the Girl Scout’s caring action but also from the Alton Garden Club’s planting and decoration of the gazebo and surround and by the donation of a new white fir tree by Nancy Downing to replace the spruce (aka Christmas Tree) that was previously cut down.

The planning, soil preparation and new planting work was done by Russell Barden of Brick House Farm. Jill Houser, a recent new member of both the Alton Garden Club and Friends of Alton Parks and Recreation, was instrumental in organizing this collaboration, which also included the installation of a Weeping Candied Apple Crabtree and three yellow osier dogwoods.

The entire effort would not have been possible without the guidance of the Alton Public Works Department, which gave the green light to creating a more attractive and welcoming park that is a true example of community pride.

With leaders of Troop 63776 like Robyn Okoniewski, Aimee Terravechia and Joanna Fencer, the scouts and Alton can look forward to high levels of positive community involvement.

Those who’d like to contribute to the further beautification of the Ginny Douglas Park can drop donations off at Catchpenny, located directly across the street from the park.