BACG History Post #20
The Cliffside Community Garden at Oakledge Park was Burlington's first community garden, established in 1972 by Gardens for All and the Burlington Parks Department.
As Oakledge Park became more popular, the park became an after hours hangout for partiers. The community gardeners at Cliffside experienced vandalism and stealing of produce.An August 19, 1976 letter to the editor of the Burlington Free Press voiced a gardener's sense of loss and frustration.
The letter writer proposed that the Parks Department close off Oakledge Park to motorized traffic and create a parking lot at the entrance.
Despite challenges, the Cliffside community garden continued at Oakledge Park through the 1978 gardening season.
The Cliffside community garden was located south of the Flynn Avenue entrance to Oakledge Park. Bocce courts currently occupy the former garden site.
