Tale Trail opened, community member honored at Collins P. Lee Center

Apr. 6—Community spirit was alive and well at the Collins P. Lee Center in Harrisburg Tuesday.

A good crowd was on hand to celebrate the opening of a new "Tale Trail," an effort to promote childhood literacy by placing enlarged pages of a children's book around the center's Solomon Harris Walking Trail. Also taking place was the dedication of a memorial bench to Mr. Joseph Ward Sr., a key figure in the Collins P. Lee Center's revitalization and the creation of the community garden.

Former District 2 Baldwin County Commissioner Tommy French welcomed those in attendance and gave a brief history lesson on what's known as the Lucille Harris Community Garden.

"In 2011 the Milledgeville Community Garden Association was located at old Southside School," French said. "The garden looked nothing like it looks now. It wasn't very well organized. They were having problems with all kinds of different things. But that experience challenged that group, including Mr. Joe Ward, to figure out how to do a better garden."

Ward and other community partners worked toward a strategic plan to reinvigorate the Collins P. Lee Center in the southside neighborhood. A grant was eventually secured from the Community Foundation of Central Georgia to help bring their vision to fruition over a decade ago.

"The strategic plan brought forward all the things you see here today and all the leaps and bounds we've made in this particular community," French added of Ward's contributions.

Solomon and Lucille Harris many years ago donated the land for what became Harrisburg school. The old school building was later converted into a community center that eventually gained the quarter-mile walking path and the community garden named after the donors.

Ward, who passed away in February 2017, was the garden manager. Now the bench sitting on a hill above the garden bears his name along with a few words he was known for saying when the project was getting off the ground.

"He always wanted to do something for his neighborhood, so when he retired he spent endless time working in the garden, harvesting, planting, and fellowshipping with his neighbors," said Gladys Ward, Mr. Ward's widow. "He brought the neighborhood together.

"He would always say, 'We're not only building a garden, we're building a community.'"

Two of Ward's children spoke next, and his daughter, Cynthia Ward-Edwards, transitioned the program into its next phase as attention turned towards the Tale Trail. The innovative idea combining literacy and exercise was born out of Georgia College & State University's Sandra Dunagan Deal Center for Early Language and Literacy. Founded in 2017 and named after Georgia's former first lady, the Deal Center aims to improve literacy among the state's youth through research, training for teachers, and grant administration.

Dr. Lindee Morgan, Deal Center executive director since last summer, credited administrative office manager Kimberly Scott and early language professional development specialist Jamie Thomas with the Tale Trail idea modeled after "StoryWalk Exhibits" found in other communities around the country. In searching for a local space to implement the project, the center reached out to Janet Cavin of Communities in Schools of Milledgeville-Baldwin County, and she provided the connection with the Harrisburg community neighborhood.

"This community has enthusiastically accepted the idea and paved the way for what we're celebrating today," Morgan said. "I extend my gratitude to Mr. Tommy French and the members of the Harrisburg community. Your support and enthusiasm for this initiative has been absolutely wonderful to experience. This has been a lovely collaboration ... As we prepare to embark on this exciting journey through the Tale Trail, I'm filled with hope and anticipation for the impact that it will have on this community. When adults engage young children in conversation and interaction and it's connected to a book, we lay the foundation for future reading success and we foster a lifelong love for literacy."

With the help of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity at GCSU, local boy scouts, and Deal Center employees, stands with storyboard displays were installed around the Collins P. Lee Center's Lucille Harris Walking Trail. The book with the honor of being the first one shown (storyboards are interchangeable to keep the Tale Trail fresh), is by Baldwin County native Steve J. Zachary Jr. Now a resident of Tampa, Fla., Zachary grew up in Milledgeville and graduated from Baldwin High School in 1996. In 2017 he wrote a children's book titled "Grayson's Play Date" that stars his own son, who's now 8 years old.

"I wanted to take the time out to say thank you for the opportunity to bring 'Grayson's Play Date' to the Harrisburg area," Zachary said. "I recall 20 or 30 years ago when I couldn't come over here. The reason I couldn't come over here was because of gang violence, drugs, and all kinds of stuff. Just being able to come back to Harrisburg and see the growth, how the community is coming together to keep it clean and positive, and to also build up the youth, I think that is a major contribution and a step towards excellence."

Available on Amazon and other online outlets, "Grayson's Play Date" is about a young boy who is excited to go out on a play date with his best friend Rye. Before leaving home, Grayson must complete his chores. While out and about, he also decides to help a few neighbors. The book is the first in what Zachary says will be a series of seven teaching kids about leadership and showing respect.

The storyboards along the Tale Trail go beyond simply showing Zachary's words and the vibrant artwork by illustrator Hallinson Pulido. Also included are questions pertaining to the story meant to help kids with reading comprehension and critical thinking skills. There's even a scannable QR code that will allow reader-walkers to have the book read aloud to them via smartphone.

The author, 46, shared what it meant for him to see his work shown in this innovative way along the Tale Trail.

"For my son to come to Milledgeville, Ga. where his dad was born and raised to see his book displayed is amazing," said Zachary. "I'm mesmerized. I don't even have enough words to show how happy I am."

The Tale Trail formally opened Tuesday evening with a ribbon cutting thanks to the exceptionally large scissors provided by the Milledgeville-Baldwin County Chamber of Commerce.