IF YOU GOWhat: Historic Missionary Ridge Home & Garden Tour.When: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday.Where: Missionary Ridge Neighborhood Association office, 150 S. Crest Road.Admission: $15 (cash only).Phone: 622-5006.HOMES• 51 S. Crest Road (home and garden)• 45 S. Crest Road (home and garden)• 386 S. Crest Road (home and garden)• 404 S. Crest Road (garden only)• 46 N. Crest Road (garden only)
Several stops on this weekend’s Historic Missionary Ridge Home & Garden Tour looked distinctively different as day dawned one year ago today.
By the end of April 27, 2011, though, the homes and gardens were littered with downed trees, large limbs, pummeled porticos, flattened flowers and shredded shrubbery.
That day’s tornadoes and fierce winds literally changed the landscape of many yards on Missionary Ridge, said Janet Bean, organizer of this weekend’s tour.
The tour, given by the Missionary Ridge Neighborhood Association, includes the homes and gardens of three families and the gardens of two others.
One of those homes saw a large tree destroy its front portico and veranda. Another had an enormous tree fall between it and a fountain. A third saw a shady front yard turned into a sunny one.
“Phase one [of cleanup] got rid of the big stuff,” Bean said. Phase two, she said, involves “replanting, reseeding” and generally relandscaping the once-shady spots into sun-filled locations.
Proceeds from the tour will assist beautification at the neighborhood association public park at 1 S. Crest Road.
The tour begins at the neighborhood association office in the former fire hall at 150 S. Crest Road. There, participants will receive a brochure with addresses of each site.
Note cards depicting scenes on Missionary Ridge will be available at the neighborhood association office. A cookbook by Missionary Ridge resident Betsy Bramlett also will be available on the tour and may be autographed at her home on the tour.
In addition, door prizes will be available from some of the 11 tour sponsors.
Bean said this year is a perfect time to visit Missionary Ridge, one year ahead of festivities surrounding the 150th Civil War anniversary of the 1863 Battle of Missionary Ridge.
“That’s part of the reason why we wanted to raise money,” she said. “We’ve got some beautification projects lined up all across the ridge. We wanted to get started on that because of next year. It’s a big reason to get this done.”