■ Block Club/BUILD career fair PAGE 3
FREE Vol. 40 No. 26
July 1, 2026 ■ Also serving Garfield Park ■ austinweeklynews.com
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‘Diggy’ Morrison’s music started in Garfield Park IGOR STUDENKOV
Construction crews were hard at work on the North Orchard lot when Austin Weekly News stopped by two weeks ago.
Eco-orchard takes root in Garfield Park after years of delays Residents will get input on what fruit will be planted ahead of 2027 opening By IGOR STUDENKOV Contributing Reporter
It took almost eight years, but a fruit orchard project the Garfield Park Community Council wanted to build on two
East Garfield Park vacant lots, finally broke ground in mid-June. Originally known as Fifth Avenue Eco Orchard, the council conceived the project in response to something it heard from Garfield Park Farmers Market cus-
tomers – they liked getting locally grown vegetables, but they wanted to be able to buy locally grown fruit. As the concept evolved, the council decided to add flood See ECO-ORCHARD on page 6
Morrison describes early family influence and exposure that sparked his interest at a young age By HECTOR CERVANTES Contributing Reporter
Robert “Diggy” Morrison is a Chicago-born musician, composer and educator who grew up in Garfield Park and developed a passion for music from an early age. After earning a music scholarship and building a career as a guitarist, arranger and television composer, he became known for his work on the TV series “The Family Business” and for his Grammyrecognized arranging work on Beyonce’s remix of “Crazy in Love.” “Listening to my family, we were all oriented and immersed in music early on, so that came naturally to me. I didn’t know I was going to become a musician. I was just a regular kid playing in the dirt and doing kid things. As I See MORRISON on page 9
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