A new wood-fueled kiln to fire ceramics has been built on the East 40 Community Garden property, and it will go into action this week.

The kiln needs to be fired for 72 straight hours, so the firing will start up tomorrow (Wednesday, Dec. 14) at 8 am and run continuously through Saturday (Dec. 17) at 8 am. Visitors are welcome to stop by anytime to check the progress - if you're so inclined, you can help chop or stack wood, or stoke the fire. Or just hang out with the E40 folks!

The kiln was funded by a $15,000 grant from the Weiler Family Foundation and will increase NCC's capabilities for ceramics programming. Be on the lookout for new and dynamic ceramics offerings through our community education program.

Good Growers: Longwood Gardens
 

On Monday we had another wonderful trip to Longwood Gardens in Philadelphia, to celebrate the successful conclusion to the fall semester.

We always enjoy our trips - there is always something new to see!

In closing...

There are many unsung NCC friends who quietly and thoughtfully support the operations of the East 40, and Marv Gruber was one.

Marv, who served as NCC's Assistant Chief of Public Safety, was also a volunteer firefighter who lost his life in a West Penn Township blaze last week.

He was a loved and respected member of the East 40 family, and we will miss him greatly. Our hearts go out to his many family and friends.