At 17 years young, a quiet place along a busy road
By Laura Hand
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 at 7:41 p.m.
LIVERPOOL --
The Butterfly Garden of Hope was a spring project in 1992. Onondaga County Parks was asked to allow the grief counseling group to design a memorial garden across from Ste Marie Museum. They reluctantly agreed, and now, parks superintendent Bob Ellis says people refer to his park (Onondaga County's busiest) as the place with the Butterfly Garden in it.
Therese Schoeneck, from Hope for Bereaved, says the park's exceeded her expectations. It now has 1700 memorial bricks, in walkways between the garden beds, and it's not uncommon to see people reading the inscriptions. She says people like the flowers, but the bricks are forever. Benches, with butterfly logos, and other memorials, also in butterfly shapes, are also tangible memorials. Schoeneck says that many who memorialize here, have loved ones buried outside the area, and this is a place of remembrance.
Landscaper Jim Sollecito designed the garden, and says 'it's a butterfly that keeps flying and flying.'
The flowers and other landscaping materials are donated annually, and most of the work is done by volunteers, including by GE's Retirees, who started by taking care of lighting and now stain benches and, this year, will replace steps to the gazebo.
Besides a place of quiet comfort, the garden is the site of weddings, several on most weekends through the summer, as well as the place for wedding and prom pictures.
For more information and to volunteer, click on the link below.
