Ford gardeners get Topsfield Fair honors

LYNN – Ford School students once again showed off their green thumbs Monday along with a bunch of red, white and blue ribbons they won from the Topsfield Fair.The students entered a variety of produce in the fair, which ran of two weeks earlier this month and all of which was grown in the school’s community garden.”This is my first time getting a ribbon and I’m very happy that I won first place,” said fourth grader Tavy-Anna Chheng, who grew celery. “I was so surprised when Ms. M told me.”Lunch cook Marion Mininger has worked with the students in the community garden for six years.”All of the kids get so excited,” she said. “It’s a sense of accomplishment when they see vegetables the grew from seeds and then get to pick it.”Fifth-grader Norma Perez has worked in the garden for two years and she said harvesting what she planted is her favor part.Perez brought home a blue ribbon, first place for a personal sized watermelon she grew.”I want to eat it now,” she said with a laugh. “I’m dying to see what it taste like.”Second-grader Krystian Callor was philosophical regarding his second place ribbon for the lettuce he grew.”I guess not everybody liked by lettuce,” he said.Students also picked up prizes for posters they created, largely in pairs, depicting their love of vegetables and gardening.Samantha Boyd and Marjorie Rodriguez brought home a fifth-place ribbon for their picture of garden while Bryce Whitcomb and Perez received a third-place ribbon for their poster.”We had a verse, ?our garden unites our community,'” Perez said.Whitcomb said the garden brings people together because often residents that might not otherwise have access to fresh fruits and vegetables are invited into the garden to pick something to take home.”And in the summer kids work in the garden,” he added.Whitcomb’s brother Nathan and Fallon Delo-Santos also each entered vegetables in the fair but didn’t net a ribbons. Undaunted however the pair said they would try again next year.”They do a really great job at the fair,” Mininger said. “They are wonderful with the kids and the kids just love it.”Chris Stevens can be reached at [email protected].