Ten years ago, Festival Beach was a mere expanse of Bermuda grass, situated just east of Interstate 35 and north of the Colorado River off Waller Street. However, through the dedicated efforts of volunteers over the years, this public, city-owned land has been transformed into a remarkable oasis.

An Oasis of Edible and Medicinal Plants

Inside the forest, one is greeted by a dense canopy of trees and the sweet chirping of songbirds, effectively drowning out the noise of the nearby highway. A plethora of edible and medicinal plants thrive here. Among them are familiar varieties such as pomegranates, asparagus, peaches, and pears. Additionally, there are some lesser-known plants like yarrow, loquats, and agarita. The forest is open to all, allowing people to drop by at any time and take what they need, with the only request being not to dig up whole plants.For those seeking a comprehensive tour of the planted crops and those available for picking, a guided walk is organized every first Saturday of the month. This provides an opportunity for people to familiarize themselves with the land and its offerings.Karen Luzius, the land steward of Festival Beach Food Forest, emphasizes the significance of this transformation. "It's been transformed into this place where you can come hang out. But also there's things we can eat. There's medicine we can make. There's learning that can happen... It's just a lot of fun."

Expanding the Food Forest

Most of the food grown in the forest is distributed to neighbors at the nearby Rebekah Baines Johnson Senior Center and other nearby residents. Now, efforts are underway to triple the size of the food forest, expanding it from two-thirds of an acre to 3.5 acres. Luzius plans to plant hundreds more fruit trees, vegetables, herbs, and medicinal plants. The expansion also includes the construction of an outdoor kitchen, a community deck for yoga and relaxation, and an education pavilion where people can learn about lesser-known plants.So far, they have raised $40,000 through a few donations and a city grant. However, Aly Tharp, a group leader at Festival Beach Food Forest, emphasizes the need for hundreds of volunteers and hundreds of thousands more dollars to make this expansion a reality. "There's ways for folks of all stripes to support us, whether it's with their time or their financial resources."

The Role of Volunteers

Luzius is one of only three full-time employees at the food forest. The majority of the work, including digging, weeding, planting, harvesting, and educational programming, is carried out by volunteers. Currently, grants supporting these full-time positions are drying up. Tharp states, "Now we're at a phase where we need new sources to have a baseline of $100,000, $200,000 so that we can continue to expand our team as we expand our footprint. So we are looking for angel donors who can give us thousands or even individuals who can give five bucks a month."Volunteers come to the food forest every Tuesday and Thursday morning and every second Saturday of the month. Angelina Alanis, a people circle volunteer, highlights that if one doesn't want to get their hands dirty, there are other ways to contribute. "We love having volunteers in the garden, but aside from that there's about 30 meetings happening throughout the month that are all the other aspects of the forest being done by volunteers, whether that's fundraising, writing a grant, planning an event or cooking a meal together." Volunteers don't need to attend every meeting; those interested can register here or simply show up.