‘Dine In the Dirt’ delivers a taste of the Learning Garden to Southern Boone

Parents and grandparents of school-aged kids, community members and others gathered Sunday to celebrate and fundraise for the Southern Boone Learning Garden at the 10th annual Dine in the Dirt event.

Attendees were able to enjoy a meal that included produce from the garden. 

Faith Calvin, Opaa!'s director of nutrition services for Southern Boone School District, assembled an autumn harvest feast of tender herb-crusted pork loin with warm roasted apples and onions.

On the side, Calvin prepared vegetables from the garden: a honeycrisp apple broccoli salad, a kale and chard salad with maple balsamic dressing, roasted okra and honey garlic butter roasted carrots.

Ashland FFA students volunteered at the event, offering appetizers and showing newcomers around the garden.

Lilee Ward, chapter secretary, said she enjoys volunteering with the garden and its events partly because of FFA's motto: "Learning to do, doing to learn, earning to live, living to serve."

"I like giving back to my community and being able to engage with all these new people and friendly faces," Lilee said. "This is definitely taking part in the 'living to serve' part."

The skies broke not long before dinner, sending guests inside the Southern Boone Primary School cafeteria. Over pop music and children's laughter, guests chatted over their meals at the long lunch tables.

The afternoon also included a silent auction, sponsored by Peggy Jean's Pies and Veterans United.

Lead Garden Educator Lyra Noce said the dinner is the garden's biggest fundraiser of the year.

"You support that effort for what we do during the school day, as well as our after school clubs and activities," she told attendees.

"We see over 850 primary and elementary students during the school day every month," she added. "It's unlike any program that I know of in this state. They don't have to leave campus to have these hands-on learning activities."

The garden education program gets students interested in healthy food and agriculture, Noce said.

"It's super important that we continue this program," she said.

Noce, who recently moved to lead educator, introduced Roxanne Helmka as the replacement for garden aide and educator

"Her support and enthusiasm for the garden is just what it needs," Noce said.

Hope Sickmeier, the retired lead garden educator and current board president, also thanked supporters of the garden, which she said had been her "happy place for eight years."

"Even though I'm not going up here every day, my heart is still out there," she said.

All proceeds from tickets and the auction go to the nonprofit to provide supplies, compost, seeds, materials and maintenance needed to keep the garden flourishing.