A new entryway garden sign honoring the resilience of Garland’s Travis College Hill neighborhood through two pandemics, two world wars, the Great Depression, a nearby tornado and other challenges in its 108-year-old history will be unveiled at a 2 p.m. dedication Sunday, Nov. 14.
The large commemorative sign and surrounding Monarch butterfly waystation will be at Garland’s 11th Street and Avenue B. It marks the north entrance to the neighborhood, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Reba Collins of Keep Garland Beautiful designed surrounding entryway garden with all-native plants.
The unique, colorful sign, with a story told in verse, will illustrate ingenious ways that 11th Streeters have coped with both pandemics (1918 and now) as well as with hurdles during economic loss and deprivation and sending native sons off to war. It also notes that the scheduled “Becoming Garland Avenue—2020 Revival” musical drama, instead of shutting down due to the quarantine in March 2020, simply reinvented itself and became a movie shown to all—another resilient act.
The Monarch waystation, designed by Reba Collins of Keep Garland Beautiful, features all-native plants and includes varieties that attract Monarchs to help preserve the species.
Also stationed in the entry garden will be a new Little Free Library, with a structure designed by local builder Dale Adams as a replica of the Adams house (a 1915 Craftsman) at 301 South 11th.
The one-hour, outdoor dedication will feature a vocal number, composed about an 11th-Street love match that happened during World War II, performed by two actors/soloists from the “Becoming Garland Avenue” movie. The original song illustrates one of the photos featured on the large sign.
An original metal sculpture is being created by Garland leader Chris Ott and will memorialize those 550-plus Garlandites who have perished during the recent pandemic.
The sign and surrounding garden are funded by a grant from Garland’s Office of Neighborhood Vitality.
The event is free and open to the public.
Top photo: Sign placed in front of an 11th Street home designed to encourage people to persevere during the pandemic.