By Paul Bolster
Ormewood Park now has a park. On a cold, blustery day city officials gathered at Urban Farm Ormewood (UFO) to cut a ribbon on the city’s first park dedicated to farming and the first official park in Ormewood. Mayor Andre Dickens, Council Member Jason Winston, parks commissioner Justin Cutler, and Stacey Thunderburke of the Conservation Fund celebrated the occasion. They thanked the Harrison family (Bill senior, Bill junior, and sister Susie) for their effort to make the hopes and dreams of Brian “Red” Harrison come true. All joined to cut the ribbon.
The new park is a “living tribute to Red’s legacy,” Winston said. Red, who died in 2022, was honored for his creation of an open space where he welcomed his neighbors to walk, bike, and garden on the land he put together plot by plot over many years.
Winston described Red as a “force of nature in the community. He believed in the power of urban agriculture, in the value of shared space where people could connect with nature and with one another.” He thanked the family for creating a partnership with the city, he thanked Red for the vision. and he thanked Mayor Dickens and his staff for making it happen.
Susie Aquino, Red’s sister, remembered him as a “rebel and a kind soul who loved community gatherings, festivals, and workdays.” She said he was “stubborn and never let go of his dream.” He loved the neighborhood Easter egg hunts and the Christmas tree burning, although the burning would not continue under the ownership of the city, she noted.
However, the old growth forest, meandering creek, and garden patches will give neighbors an opportunity to momentarily get back to nature and take a break from urban life.
Go to ufoatlanta.org/garden to apply for a garden spot, volunteer, and get your hands in the dirt.
