Like an artist with an empty canvas, a gardener or horticulturist likes nothing more than an empty plot of soil. When a new parking lot planter was created with the addition to parking spaces along the rail trail behind Casey’s Pub, several local green thumbs vied for planting rights.

The ground-level empty spot was destined to be a weed-filled eyesore until Mark Ahronian of Ahronian Landscape envisioned the vacant spot as a welcoming garden. The Downtown Marigold Project was two steps behind Ahronian, adding plants as Ahronian mulched the new flower bed.

“The rail trail gets a lot of use,” Ahronian said, “and we have people coming from out of town. We’d like to make the area as nice as possible.” Folks coming from the Medway and Millis areas are entering the town’s commercial district along Winthrop and Railroad Streets. The rail trail can be seen as a gateway to downtown.

With plenty of trail users and folks expected to attend the Sunday Farmers’ Market at Blair Square this summer, the American Legion Downtown Marigold Project decided to tackle the overgrown corner of Central and Railroad Streets. Grass was mowed, weeds pulled and the sign planter received annuals to add color to the corner. Even Ken Henderson of the Rail Trail Committee who was passing by in the official Rail Trail Golf Cart lent a hand with his weed whacker.

Next on the Marigold Project’s list was the planter on the side of the street opposite CVS Pharmacy that has been left void of any color for several years.

What a difference a few people with a little vision and some flowers can make when to give our town a welcoming feel!