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Urban Farming with Kigwana Cherry

Beginning a farm can be daunting for many. Some focus primarily on harvesting fruits and vegetables, while others may implement a selection of animals to round out their farm.

Kigwana Cherry, known as the curator of Pop-Up Augusta! and the owner of Farmer Musician Urban Farming Development and Consulting, started his journey in urban farming five years ago but heavily pushed his urban growth during the pandemic as a fun activity and way of income. “You can not only grow,” he said. “But you can turn the things you’re growing into other things.”

Cherry began making his own line of hot sauce, Saucy Tenore, with the peppers he grows every spring. This year he decided to try his hand at growing Luffah (also known as loofah), that hearty sponge some of us use to wash our dishes. “I’m going to start growing more peppers to expand my hot sauce business,” mentioned Cherry. “I also want to grow more Luffah because people always need it.”

Cherry’s Tips For Beginner Urban Farmers

• Have patience, lots of it.
• Don’t be afraid to grow or try new things.
• Take note of your state/region seasonal climates.
• Sustainable growing is not impossible.
• Be sure you have the proper growing/selling licenses.

His business is primarily farm-to-table, but he uses his knowledge and platform to give others valuable information when it comes to growing crops with the space available. “You don’t have to have 40 acres in order to say you have a farm. It’s about what you’re doing in the area,” said Cherry. “Just like a large farm, I have to get the same kind of license.” At the end of March, Cherry officially became a Master Gardener.

Not only does he grow fruits and vegetables, but he also has chickens. Alongside the chickens, Cherry then decided to raise goats. One, named Curry, he keeps as a pet, but the others will be raised for meat. He is also working out the technicalities for growing and selling plants.

Cherry shared about his desire to create an urban farm community in South Augusta. “I do want to create a true agrihood, a wellness garden in a sense, where people can come and live. We can grow and cultivate the land together. A place not too far from the city where people can grow and be themselves.”

The fruits (and vegetables) of Cherry’s labor are something he takes great pride in. “There’s nothing like waking up in the morning and being able to go outside and get things from my garden for breakfast,” he said. “It’s so rewarding.”

(Photos courtesy of @farmermusician on Instagram)

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Saving History

History doesn’t change, but the historic sites where they took place often go through alterations and are sometimes found in jeopardy. Land shifts, properties sell and building structures deteriorate with time. So, who keeps Augusta’s rich history intact?

Historic Augusta has been protecting properties that are integral to the Garden City since 1965. One of the longest ongoing projects is the preservation of the Reverend Charles T. Walker House on Laney Walker Boulevard. The property was first placed on Historic Augusta’s Endangered Properties List in 2009 but wasn’t acquired until November 2016.

“The property was in ruins. We negotiated with the owners but there were 19 property heirs,” mentions Historic Augusta’s Executive Director, Erick Montgomery. “It took three years for everyone to agree and sign it over.”

Since acquiring the property, the front porch, roof and foundation have been restored and a new coat of paint has refreshed the entire exterior. Now they are seeking a new property owner.

(Photo courtesy of Historic Augusta, Inc.)

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Historic Augusta’s 2022 Endangered Properties List

Historic Augusta has four properties on their Endangered Properties List for this year. While these properties are not in immediate danger, a few require dedicated revenue sources while others need sufficient funds for maintenance and restoration. Be sure to look out for Historic Augusta’s 2023 Endangered Properties List in the upcoming fall.

1.   Old Academy of Richmond County
2.   “Cloister Garth”, Thomas-Clay House
3.   Morris Street Cemetery
4.   Old Medical College Building

To be a part of Historic Augusta’s preservation mission, visit historicaugusta.org.

(Photos 1 and 4 by Jim Lockhart, courtesy of Historic Augusta, inc., Photos courtesy of Historic Augusta, Inc.)

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Lifting Spirits
Paul Anderson and the Paul Anderson Youth Home serve as a beacon of hope for troubled male youth from many states.

Born October 17, 1932, in Toccoa, Ga., Paul Anderson had an early battle with Bright’s Disease (now referred to as nephritis) that caused severe kidney problems.

Growing up it was clear Anderson’s dedication ran deep. He received a football scholarship from Furman University in 1955 and got his first taste of weight training. Anderson’s minimal understanding of weight training and weightlifting snowballed into an unstoppable passion that lead him to leave Furman and become the first man in the world to press 400 pounds.

From then on, success and great achievements followed, but not without utmost dedication and consistency. In 1956 he won the gold medal at the Olympic games in Melbourne, Australia. Unbeknownst to him, he was the last American to win the Super Heavyweight Olympic Gold.

Anderson followed up his Olympic achievement with The Guinness Book of World Records win for “the greatest weight ever raised by a human being, 6,270 pounds in a back lift” in 1957.

A year after his weighty success, Anderson married Glenda Garland. The couple had an interest in starting a Christian home for troubled youth, so they quickly sought funding and the perfect location.

“He said ‘I think we can do this’ and we tried it and it was a wonderful success.”

– Glenda Anderson

His first fundraiser was a bike ride from Vidalia, Ga., to Omaha, Ne., and shortly thereafter Anderson met Truett Cathy, founder of the iconic Chick-fil-A, who was the youth home’s first supporter.

The Paul Anderson Youth Home (PAYH) officially started welcoming their first residents to the Mimosa Motel in Vidalia where Anderson shared his Christian faith and strength to provide most of the funding for an official PAYH location.

After a year of fundraising, PAYH moved to McIntosh Street, still their current location in Vadalia, where they officially became a 501(c)3 corporation.

Since then, PAYH has evolved to support young men from all around the country at their campus. Their “Shape Up” (Spiritual Guidance, Honorable Work Ethic, Academic Excellence, Physical Fitness and Emotional and Social Development) program was created by Anderson and his wife with four core initiatives: “Planting God’s Word in lives and discipling through mentoring and modeling, providing therapeutic counseling and substance abuse treatment, supplying a fully accredited high school and vocational training, supporting our graduates long-term through our Transition Program.”

After Anderson’s passing in 1994, PAYH has continued his vision. They formed the Paul Anderson Golf Classic as a way for the community to be an active participant in fundraising. “The tournament was started because our board chairman at the time was a golfer,” said Glenda.

Because many of their young men are addicts, it was tough to figure out the logistics of a fundraiser for troubled youth where many golfers would play and enjoy alcohol.

“He said ‘I think we can do this’ and we tried it and it was a wonderful success,” she recalls. “Everybody knew our program and knew what we expected. They were so kind and supported us so beautifully it became our largest fundraiser.”

Since then, the Paul Anderson Golf Classic has taken place at The River Club in North Augusta. This year’s Golf Classic returns May 9.

To learn more about PAYH or their fundraising events visit payh.org.

(Photos courtesy of Paul Anderson Youth Home)

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MEMA HAD ONE

Everyone’s house is different. To make a home special requires personal touches, pieces you love, art that ties the whole room together or small things that allow you to carry a vibe throughout the space.

Mema Had One is the perfect place to find those unique and antique detail pieces with a little bit of charm to round out a room.

(Photos courtesy of Mema Had One Facebook)

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Appears in the May 2022 issue of Augusta Magazine.