April 26, 2023
Good to grow
Around Town SCC Assessor hosting community Q&A sessions about reassessments. Pg. 3
Community gardens in St. Charles County empower people to develop an agricultural/botanical area and build stronger relationships with one another
Select lakes at Busch CA now open to hand-launched canoes and kayaks. Pg. 3
Healthy Living Understanding cardiothoracic surgery. Pg. 4
Flip for Features
By Brett Auten Gardening as a practice has been around since the dawn of time and has allowed people to grow plants for a plethora of purposes. According to the Mayo Clinic, gardening has been shown to lighten mood and lower levels of stress and anxiety. It’s very gratifying to plant, tend, harvest and share your own food. Routines provide structure to our day and are linked to improved mental health. Gardening routines, like watering and weeding, can create a soothing rhythm to ease stress. AARP list five benefits of gardening, one being Vitamin D exposure and the other being combating loneliness. The latter is definitely where a community garden can help out. Community gardens are far from a new concept. They have been organized and cultivated in cities and neighborhoods worldwide for years. Community gardens are usually open, public spaces created and managed by community members instead of a separate entity. In a community garden, people are empowered to develop an agricultural/botanical area and build stronger relationships with one another. And St. Charles County has plenty of opportunities. Holy Cross Lutheran Church located at 8945 Veterans Memorial Parkway, just across from Zumwalt Park, has 10-foot by 12-foot garden plots available for interested gardeners. You may plant whatever you like and are
Recipe, Movie & Sudoku. Pg. F-1 CLASSIFIEDS AND HOME & GARDEN. Pg. F-2 /F-3 Moore On Life, Lifestyle & Crossword. Pg. F-4
Weather FRIDAY Cloudy 70/47 SATURDAY Cloudy 62/43
Photo by Brett Auten Prem Mera, of Lake St. Louis, tends to the soil at Holy Cross Lutheran Church located at 8945 Veterans Memorial Parkway over the weekend. Mera and his family enjoy the benefits of a community garden.
responsible for weeding, watering, harvesting and cleaning up at the end of the season. If you are interested in a plot or have questions, contact David Schlesselman by email at daschlesselman@gmail.com or by phone at 636-578-1766. Holy Cross Lutheran Church started with just six plots just under 10 years ago. It
branched to 12 before setting out 18 this year. Most of those plots are spoken for by people outside the congregation, which really brings the community aspect of it to light. “It has worked well in that aspect in that we are being a service of people in our community. Four are brand new gardeners,” SchlesselSee ’GROW’ page 2
Serving St. Louis, St. Charles and Lincoln Counties | FREE Online at mycnews.com | Vol. 25 No. 17 | 636-379-1775
SUNDAY Partly Cloudy 61/42
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