McCoy Farm & Gardens Newsletter

Volume Eight: Issue Nine xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx September 2023

The New Dismembered Tennesseans in Concert with Special Guest Bob Bernhardt

Get your tickets now for a very special concert by the New Dismembered Tennesseans on Sunday, October 15 from 4 – 6 PM at McCoy. Bob Bernhardt, retired conductor of the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, will be our master of ceremonies. Tickets are $45, available in advance only, and online at Fiddles & Vittles at McCoy. At intermission, you'll be served a picnic basket filled with a delicious down-home supper and two drink tickets for beer, wine, or water. We are appreciative to Pruett's Market and the Signal Mountain Lions Club for their contributions to the meal. Don't miss this magical evening to benefit McCoy Farm & Gardens. 

Walden Town Meeting at McCoy & Boardwalk Ribbon Cutting Sept. 12

McCoy Farm & Gardens is pleased to host the Walden Town Meeting at the Pavilion on Tuesday, September 12. The Town meeting will start at 6:30 PM, but we invite the public to join us at 6:00 PM for our Ribbon Cutting of the new Boardwalk. The project was led by McCoy board members Andy Jones and Fred Wildman who built the boardwalk with our summer interns and McCoy volunteers Terry Knox and Annette Wildman. Look for signs at the parking lot trailhead to direct you to the boardwalk for the ribbon cutting. Immediately afterward, we will reconvene at the Pavilion for the September Town Meeting.

McCoy Farm & Gardens is owned by the Town of Walden and leased by a nonprofit organization that manages the property.

Volunteer Orientation Sept. 12 and 13

Please join us to learn more about volunteering, meet others, make new friends, and chat with board members. On Tuesday, September 12 at 5:00 PM, and Wednesday, September 13 at 10:00 AM in the dining room, Volunteer Coordinator Anne Hayes Pearce will meet with volunteers to answer questions and provide information about McCoy. If you would like to learn more about helping in a way that suits your talents, please contact Anne Hayes at volunteers@mccoywalden.org

Tuesday's orientation will conclude in time to attend the Boardwalk Ribbon Cutting and Town Meeting at McCoy that same evening.

Barn Artifacts for Display

Beginning in 2019 and continuing through 2020, the Board of Directors worked hand in hand with Hodgson Douglas Landscape Architects to develop a Master Plan for McCoy Farm & Gardens. One priority was saving the barn which “establishes the farm identity.” We are all very happy to see the attractive barn as it stands today.

A committee is sorting through the items that were removed from the barn and stored. They are focusing on articles that tell the story of how a small family farm functioned in the early 1900’s. Their plan is to display and identify the tools and machinery used by the Bachman-McCoy family. Labels and accompanying literature will clarify what the items are, who used them, how they used them, and why. 

Fall of a Big Tree

When a huge tree falls, we feel sad at the loss of an old friend that has always been there throughout our lives. In this photo, Bob Robbins counts the rings on a 126-year-old oak tree that recently went down in our woodland. It certainly was a big loss.

What happens when a big tree falls, and how does it affect the woods? For one thing, it leaves an empty space in the overstory, allowing more light to shine through and reach the plant life below. On the ground, other trees and plants that once surrounded the tree now have more space for their roots to expand. The additional light, space, and nutrients in the soil create the perfect growing conditions for wildflowers, ferns, and new trees.

Dead trees play an essential role in sustaining life around them. While still standing, they provide important habitat as insects move in, then woodpeckers make holes in the trees to pluck out the insects, and then smaller birds like wrens and chickadees make their nests in those cavities.

A fallen tree is essential in maintaining the balance of the ecosystem around it. The area where a tree decomposes is full of life. The nutrients a tree used to build itself during its lifetime are spread into the soil and make it richer for other plants to use. Fallen trees sustain the fungi and mosses, beetles, slugs, millipedes, earthworms, and other detritivores that feed on the decaying wood. This means that animals that prey on those decomposers also benefit, and the predators of those predators can also find food. From tiny ants to frogs to raccoons, life is enriched.

Large trees that fall over create holes where their roots had been and mounds where the trees decay. The pits trap water and leaves, helping reduce water runoff. Depressions and mounds support different kinds of life and add to the richness of biodiversity in the forest.

Unless a tree falls across the trail or is dangerous to structures and people, we allow it to rest on the forest floor to do the job it was intended to do. The lawns and glades of McCoy Farm & Gardens are manicured, and we hope you enjoy them. We hope you will also appreciate the wild woods as they contribute to the biodiversity of the property.

Explore the new McCoy Farm & Gardens website

www.mccoyfarmandgardens.org.

and discover

• Maps of the trail, arboretum, and gardens
• History of the property and former residents
• Event Venues illustrated by photographs
• Rental information for weddings and other occasions
• Passes for Professional photographers
• Tours of the McCoy home
• Archives of monthly Newsletters beginning in 2015

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.