TWO RIVERS (NBC 26) — The Mariner's Trail Gardens bring in bikers and tourists from all over, but its beauty would not be possible without the constant clipping, sometimes digging, and all-around gardening of the many volunteers.
Spanning five and a half miles of shoreline, the Mariner's Trail is a key piece of the lakeside, and the flowerbeds within it, maintained by gardeners such as Harry O'connell, are just as important.
"People have told us they come just to ride the trail, sometimes two or three times a year", O'Connell said.
The maintenance is no light work for the volunteers who take multiple hours a week to care for the gardens. They are led by their organizer, Judy Corrado.
Corrado says, "My job is getting 50 other people to garden for me".
Although she leads, Judy is no stranger to hard work.
"The garden I work with, I carry 28 gallons of water each time I come and water", says Corrado. "That takes time."
Hard work indeed, I learned, as even I was not exempt from weed duty today with the volunteers. But the work is rewarding enough, at least for Harry O'Connell.
"It means a lot that we are sharing the beauty of the lakeshore with people from all over", he said.
Every year help is still needed. To join click here.
