Chapel Hill is set to become the home of a flower farm filled with a rainbow of colorful plants and providing a safe place for the town’s LGBTQ+ community. Known as Rainbow Farms, it will open July 4 with a free-to-attend picnic from 12-6 p.m. to celebrate.
“Our mission was basically to help preserve small farming and help to launch the next generation of young farmers,” Cheri Lynne, director of Rainbow Gardens and part of the original group of moms, said in an interview with The Daily Tar Heel.
According to reporting from the student-run paper, a group of moms got together and came up with an idea, which led to the creation of Wildwoods Community Farm in western Chapel Hill. What originally started as a volunteer-ran nonprofit produce farm also became an educational resource for residents and a gathering place for events, talks and farming workshops.
The farm outgrew its space after a little less than a decade, so the board of directors moved to convert the produce farm to a flower farm and LGBTQ+ community center in a nearly unanimous vote.
Victor Acosta, a volunteer in charge of events, spoke to the DTH and said he’s excited for what the garden will allow him to do.
“Creating that community and helping it grow I think is a huge motivator, and wanting to get out there and support,” Acosta said.
Rainbow Gardens will have a four-season garden with annual and perennial flowering plants. Community members are able to donate cuttings and/or plants from their own gardens to be a part of the special space.
The farm will also offer spaces for lounges, knitting clubs and book clubs, as well as events like karaoke and picnics. Lynne said it’s also a goal for Rainbow Gardens to be a low cost option for a wedding venue for couples of all backgrounds.
“We truly, truly want the space to be a celebration,” Lynne said. “So, if you have a love story, you can get celebrated here, you can have your wedding here. If you have a birthday party, if you just want to come sit in the garden, and be at peace and celebrate yourself — you can do that.”
So why target the LGBTQ+ community?
According to data collected by the National Young Farmers Coalition, over 24% of farmers under the age of 40 identify with a sexual orientation other than heterosexual. Another 2017 study from the University of Idaho used USDA Census of Agriculture Data and found many farms were operated by men married to men and women married to women.
For Lynne, she said she noticed a “natural connection” between queer identifying folks and nature. “We found there to be a higher participation in volunteering and the joy in wanting to be farmers,” she explained.
For more information on the Rainbow Gardens Independence Day (July 4) Pride-themed event, visit their website at https://rainbowgardensnc.com/.