The Bicentennial Peace Garden located at Brown’s Berry Patch will be officially designated as an Honorary International Peace Garden in a ceremony at 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 5. The public is welcome to attend.
The garden is part of a trail of War of 1812 Bicentennial Peace Gardens established to commemorate the significance of this historic event. The 1812 Bicentennial Peace Garden Project (www.ipgf.org) is modeled after a program established by the International Peace Garden Foundation in 1990. At that time, Canada honored the United States with the first International Peace Garden, signifying the friendship between the two countries which have shared the longest undefended border in the world since the War of 1812. Annually since 1990, a country is presented with a Peace Garden in recognition of their commitment to fostering world peace. Presently there are 22 International Peace Gardens spanning five continents.
Eligibility for Honorary International Peace Garden designation include location, size, design and, in this case, significance to the War of 1812. In 1804, the Brown family matriarch, Bathshua, settled her five sons and seven daughters along the Oak Orchard River that leads to Lake Ontario. During the War of 1812, she stood against a British captain who subsequently fled the area.
The Peace Garden at Brown’s Berry Patch, currently the only such garden in Orleans County, is a tribute to the Browns’ pioneer tenacity and diplomacy that helped make this country great. “These lovely flowers will be a constant reminder of how blessed we all are to have come to peace with our neighbors,” says Bob Brown.
Brown’s Berry Patch is open daily 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through the end of October. Visit www.brownsberrypatch.com for other information.
9/29/13
