AUBURN, Ala. (AP) – Before December, if you ever took an early morning jog in downtown Auburn or maybe grabbed a bite for breakfast there, you might have spotted someone tending to the hanging flower baskets that line several blocks of the city’s core.
If you’re observant, you might have noticed it was the same woman every day, pulling her watering cart along College Street, Magnolia Avenue and other streets. Her name is Colleen Jennings, and it’s a role she held for 17 years before passing the torch – or the water, so to speak – to the next person.
From 7:30 a.m. onward, no matter the season, Jennings was the sole caretaker of Auburn’s hanging baskets as a member of the Auburn Beautification Council, making sure each one was in good health.
“It’s more of a commitment than people realize,” Jennings said. “The summertime is the most demanding, I would say. When we replant in the fall and in the spring, you’re on a ladder to do the planting.”
In 2004, Auburn Parks and Recreation Director Becky Richardson approached Jennings about the role, seeing it as a natural fit given Jennings’ passion for gardening.