EAST BETHEL – On Sunday I took a stroll up to the Common to check out the Harvest/Chowder Fest. The weather was perfect, so it was well attended. The line for the samples was quite long, so I skipped that part and browsed to see the various vendors and their wares.

Last week Thursday Arlene Harrington’s sister Charmaine came for a visit. They enjoyed the nice weather, sitting outside and chatting. Charmaine drove back home on Monday.

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This week is a slow news week, so I will tell you about a not so well known aspect of German culture, the “Schrebergarten.” A Schrebergarten is much like an English allotment; a small piece of land some distance away from a person’s house, where they can grow fruits and vegetables. The name ‘Schrebergarten’ comes from its history: In the 1800s a Dr. Daniel Schreber wanted to create more outdoor spaces in his hometown of Leipzig for children to exercise in, so he asked the city of Leipzig to lease small plots of land for this purpose, and the Schrebergarten was born.

However, during the World War, its primary purpose shifted; it became an invaluable area for people to grow their own food in. Furthermore, the little Schuppen (sheds) often found at the end of Schrebergärten became temporary housing solutions following the housing shortages during the two world wars. The way these Schuppen ‘evolved’ is most likely the reason that so many Schrebergärten nowadays look like little holiday homes rather than allotments.

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