The Outer Comstock Neighborhood Association is hosting its inaugural Art, Garden, and Sustainability Trail on August 5, from 9:30 - 2:30. We will have 13 gardens with sustainable elements and 25 local artists, many of whom incorporate sustainable elements in their works of art.

There will be a lawn-to-meadow demo site located at 1474 Comstock. Janice Wiles of Go Native Perennials will be on-site to talk about the meadow movement and the importance of incorporating native plants into the landscape. Habitat Gardening of CNY (a chapter of The Wild Ones) will also be on hand to talk about sustainability and their work throughout Central New York. The other gardens run the gambit. This is not a "Better Homes and Gardens" tour. The properties in this neighborhood are modest in size and most are on single-city lots (or less). Yet, the gardeners have created some environmentally friendly habitats that help to make this neighborhood more liveable-and in some cases, almost magical. Locally eco-sourced native plants, grown at Doce Lume Farm, will be given to participants as long as our inventory lasts (please, only one plant per property).

Master Gardeners from the Cornell Extension will be on hand that day to field questions on sustainability and offer support and guidance on including natural elements in the landscape. Two Master Gardener volunteers will be the hosts at Don Leopold's former property. That property alone has more than 140 plants including a paw-paw tree!

Butler Street will be closed down on the 5th to make way for our group of artists. There will be a variety of artists and crafters, primarily housed on Butler, who will be showing and selling their work. Fabric artists, jewelry makers, sustainably made birdhouses, potters, painters, and just about every imaginable kind of art will be a part of the event.

The entire trail is less than 2 miles in length with gradual elevation; it is walkable. To get started, you can stop in at 1438 to pick up a "Trail" map or you can start at any point where you see an OCNA Event sign. The event is free and open to the public. Everyone is welcome!