Cordwood shed to be dedicated Friday

The new cordwood structure at the Georgeson Botanical Garden is almost too beautiful to be called a shed.

A cordwood shed built at the Georgeson Botanical Garden as part of a July Summer Sessions course will be dedicated Friday, Sept. 24 during a 5:30 p.m. ceremony. The workshop, taught by Rob Roy, included hands-on masonry and cordwood work by the students.

GBG Director Pat Holloway is so pleased with how the structure turned out she may make it into something other than a storage shed. "It's so beautiful; it has generated quite a bit of interest," she said. When Summer Sessions Director Michelle Bartlett asked her if the cordwood class could be held at the garden, Holloway agreed because it would be an educational demonstration of a unique construction technique. She thought she'd have a simple shed to store tools in but since its completion, Holloway is having second thoughts. "I might use it for an activity other than a shed," she said, comparing it to a hobbit house.

Agriculture Lab Assistant Grant Matheke set aside his normal garden duties in July to get the concrete pad and framework ready before the Summer Sessions class began. He worked diligently on the shed before, during, and after the week-long course. Holloway praised Matheke for his hard work on the project.

Garden visitors have been requesting to peek inside the shed to see how the glass bottles built into the side look with daylight shining through them. "This shed is so cute," Dr. Holloway said. The structure is on the east edge of the botanical garden near the children’s area. Everyone is welcome at Friday's dedication. For details, call Summer Sessions at 474-7021.