The first Annual Pettigrew Heights Harvest Festival was held September 19, 2009, on the Lowell Elementary Math Science and Technology School playground.

Over 500 neighborhood students, teachers, residents, attended the celebration event that provided, food, music, dancing, games, garden tours, and a “big top tent” for over 20 local non-profit agencies to provide community resource and service information. As part of a significant neighborhood development project, urban agriculture is taking root at the school to grow hope in Pettigrew Heights. The garden includes nine raised beds of vegetables and flowers and plastic wading pools filled with fertile soil and planted with seeds that provide salad produce for the neighborhood tables. Using the garden as an extended classroom, children will grow to be better students and good neighbors.

Named by the students as “A Growing Place” the garden will transform families and the neighborhood. Urban agriculture is not just about gardening – it’s about growing people.

“A Growing Place” will produce: gardens as educational laboratories; inspired and empowered students; functional families; caring neighbors; neighborhood beautification; desire to serve others; affordable local food; healthier food consumption; economic opportunity; community unity; neighborhood leaders; hopeful imaginations and dreams; and a reproducible teaching garden model.

“A Growing Place” is a teaching garden that develops self–sufficiency and lasting relationships. Such relationships are evolving as a result of the collaborative efforts with the following partners: Pettigrew Heights Neighborhood; Lowell Elementary School and PTA; Minnehaha County Extension Service; Minnehaha County Master Gardeners; Pettigrew Heights Neighborhood Outreach; Sioux Falls Community Organizers; Summit House; Volunteers of America, Dakotas; AmeriCorp VISTA; and City of Sioux Falls.