Fall is in the air! And with it talk of our city’s cleanup campaign, “Fall in Love with Natchez”, is beginning to spread. Very soon, colorful banners with this catchy slogan will be seen all over downtown, where on Monday, September 16, downtown merchants will set the tone for what we hope can happen all over our city. Existing flower beds along our sidewalks, many of them currently filled with weeds, will be transformed with plants purchased at a discount by property owners downtown and filled with soil and mulch provided by the city. But we need volunteers – this is going to be a community effort, neighbor working with neighbor. The day will kick off at 9 a.m., Monday, September 16, at Memorial Park – our staging area for plants, supplies and volunteers.
The inspiration behind this event came from a visit I had in June with a lovely lady named Betty Haynie. I doubt anyone reading this will immediately recognize her name, so I’ll explain. Betty owns a remarkable antique store, Betty G. Haynie’s Antiques & Fine Art, in Fairhope, Alabama. Betty’s store has been a fixture in this beautiful southern Alabama town for over thirty years and is nestled among the many blooming flowerbeds downtown Fairhope is known for.