McCoy Farm & Gardens Newsletter

Volume Eight: Issue Sevenxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx July 2023

New McCoy Website Unveiled

McCoy Farm & Gardens is pleased to announce our new website, www.mccoyfarmandgardens.org. You'll find information from trail, arboretum, and garden maps to the history of the property and its former residents (see a portion of the timeline below). You can also learn about professional photography passes and wedding and other event rentals. Be sure to check out our new trail map under the VISIT tab along with instructions on how to download the map and make it interactive using the Avenza app. We hope you enjoy it.

Above, a screenshot of a portion of the history timeline you'll find on our new site.

Summer Interns

We welcomed six college students to McCoy earlier this summer, and they’re working hard and learning lots. You’ll see an early project as you arrive on the property with the freshly-painted fences and rock-lined bed full of irises and daffodil bulbs in the parking lot. The interns also keep busy with extensive invasive plant removal. We work in plenty of "enrichment", too, such as this week’s trip to Moccasin Bend Environmental Campus to learn about wastewater treatment, a starting-plants-from-seed workshop by board member Anne Hayes Pearce, and a lesson promoting bluebirds with Alison Hoffmann. Bob Gray spoke to them about his career with the National Park Service and Tom Voychehovski taught them how to treat green ash trees for the emerald ash borer.

Interns save a grove of witch hazel from being choked by bittersweet vines.

Gift of Local Honey

The interns enjoyed bottling the donated honey. Clockwise from left, Blake Eberhart, Sophie Stinnett, Mary Aho, Mary Claire Nimon, Lottie Miller, Vito Knoop, and Mitch Shakespeare.

Beekeeper Mary Aho made a very generous donation from recently to McCoy Farm & Gardens of almost 70 pounds of honey to sell as a fundraiser. Stop by our booth at the Lions Club 4th of July Picnic to support McCoy by purchasing delicious local spring honey.

MFG will be selling 1 pint jars at the Lions Club BBQ on July 4th at Althaus Park.

We are planting some attractive new native plants, including native azaleas, ferns, and wildflowers to enhance the parking area and other areas of the grounds. The health and success of these plantings depend on consistent watering for a period extending into the fall. Any and all help is needed. Whether you can commit to long-term or short-term watering, if you are interested contact Melissa Nimon at 423-598-1658 to help with this important project.

Help Support McCoy’s Brides’ Boutique

The Brides’ Boutique was a successful new fundraiser at the Memorial Day picnic this year. A china sale resulting from generous donations from Matt Wildman was held in the McCoy House. The elegant dining room table was filled with place settings of ten different patterns of antique and vintage porcelain displayed for silent auction bids. The donated items ranged from a small set of eight pieces to a large one of 67. There was something for everyone. The sale proved to be such a benefit to McCoy (bringing in over $900) that we plan to do it again next year. This is where you come in. Do you have extra china stored in your attic, basement, or closets that you no longer use?

By donating your china to McCoy, you will be giving to a good cause, receiving a tax credit, freeing up your storage space, and knowing that your donations will be going to someone who will appreciate your underused tableware. In other words, your "kittens will be going to good homes."

Please keep us in mind if you are downsizing, moving, or just clearing things out. We can arrange to pick up and even pack up at your convenience. For more information, please call or text Anne Leonard at 423-838-4638 or email: leonardtfgc2003@epbfi.com.

Fourth of July Parade & Picnic Booth

The 4th of July parade from Olde Town in Signal Mountain to Althaus Park behind the SM Country Club is a great start to our community celebration of Independence Day. This year McCoy Farm & Gardens is partnering with the Walden’s Ridge Guild to create a float for the parade.

The new parade route begins near Alexian Village at 9 AM and continues straight on James Boulevard to Laurel Avenue. At Althaus Pavilion, the celebration continues with a picnic hosted by the Signal Mt. Lions Club. Bulk BBQ is available for purchase starting at 10:00, with the picnic officially beginning at 11:00 and continuing till about 2:00.

Near the Pavilion, look for booths hosted by both the WR Guild and McCoy Farm & Gardens. The Guild is offering Mementos of eleven historic locations on Walden’s Ridge, and heirloom Signal Mt. map prints of work by Jeanne Catino, daughter of the famous artist-writer and previous McCoy property resident, Emma Bell Miles.

McCoy Farm & Gardens will have for sale our new branded merchandise, including t-shirts and water bottles, Emma Bell Miles books and notecards, artisan-made bluebird houses, and delicious local honey.

See you at the parade on Tuesday, July 4.

Special Visitor

McCoy had an unexpected visitor on the morning of June 13. A beautiful black bear was spotted on the property and last seen passing through the parking lot. This shot was captured by McCoy intern Vito Knoop after he closed the front gate to visitors. The bear stayed about 45 minutes before moving on into the Town of Signal Mountain. They are often on the move this time of year, although he is the first known bear to pass through in recent memory. His visit will not soon be forgotten!

Contact McCoy Farm & Gardens Event Director Cynthia Pennington

at cynthia@mccoywalden.org

to learn more about renting space at McCoy for your next event.

Or mail your check to McCoy Farm & Gardens, P.O. Box 443, Signal Mountain, TN 37377

McCoy Farm & Gardens covers thirty-eight acres and features the Bachman-McCoy home, gardens, and several outbuildings including the Pavilion, Carriage House, Barn, and Blacksmith Workshop. The perimeter walking trail is 1.1 miles.