Dig-It Gardens to celebrate Johnny Appleseed Day with games, crafts

KINGMAN – Dig-It Community Gardens is holding Johnny Appleseed Day from 9-11 a.m. Saturday, celebrating the acknowledged birthday of the folklore figure who planted apple trees everywhere he went.

Bring the kids to the garden at 2301 Lillie Ave. to participate in activities, crafts, games and food.

The event is free, but children must be accompanied by an adult.

Born as John Chapman on Sept. 26, 1774, in Leominster, Massachusetts, the frontier nurseryman was better known as Johnny Appleseed for establishing orchards throughout the Midwest.

He’s one of America’s fondest legends, a folk hero who kept ahead of settlements in the 1800s and planted apple seeds farther west each year.

The Dig-It Community Gardens was founded in 2015 by Mike Roundy of Praise Chapel Church, which donated the land, and master gardener Ron Tanner, along with a handful of volunteers.

They held fundraising events and solicited donations from local businesses to get the garden going, including garden materials, construction equipment and manpower.

The goal of the garden is to provide an affordable place for people to grow fresh fruits and vegetables, and to build a stronger sense of community through a “cooperative and enjoyable garden experience,” according to the Dig-It web site.

Some of the food is donated to local churches, food banks and homeless shelters.