Joanne Winer
QUARTZSITE TIMES
October 25th, 2005
The first scheduled work
session for Celia’s Rainbow Gardens was held on Oct. 22. About a dozen people
came out for the work session, not as many as hoped, but with everything else
that was going on that day, it was nice to see that many show up.
Several ladies helped enormously by weeding around the mining equipment display
area, filling many bags and raking the area.
Another couple helped greatly by gluing and placing plaques on the cement
holders that have the names of the people that have been remembered in the
Gardens.
Several others worked in other areas of the Gardens, pulling weeds, raking and
making their areas look really nice. It was a very successful day’s work and
thanks go to everyone who came out and participated.
More work sessions will be coming up soon, and it is hoped that more people will
be able to give a few hours of their time to get the gardens cleaned up from all
the weeds and debris resulting from the summer storms and overabundance of
vegetation.
On a sadder note, it was discovered during the work session that some vandalism
and theft had occurred in the week or so before the work session. One of the
memorial displays at the far end of the trail past the Rock and Gem pavilion was
vandalized.
A metal sculpture depicting a computer monitor that was cemented to the top of a
pedestal had been pried off the top of the pedestal and stolen from the gardens.
This sculpture was designed especially for this area because the man being
remembered was a computer nut and his wife had it made in his memory. She will
be heartbroken when she comes back and finds out that someone removed it.
At the entrance to the Gardens, near the cottonwoods, there were two huge rocks,
green with black stripes, that were brought across country and donated for a
special display in the Gardens. The man who brought them and gave them to the
Gardens will also be pretty upset that they were stolen before they could be
placed in this special area. If you know of anyone who has removed these items
from the Gardens, please let them know that they should bring them back — the
Gardens is part of the Town Park and everything in it belongs to the Town.
Anyone caught taking things from this area is stealing and will be prosecuted.
It’s hard to believe that anyone would take things from an area that doesn’t
belong to them, but even sadder to think that they would take things that have
such emotional value to someone else.
It is hoped that whoever took these things will realize how much hurt this will
cause to the people who donated these items, and will have the decency to bring
them back.