{"id":34430,"date":"2026-05-22T11:29:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T16:29:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/?post_type=news_press&p=34430"},"modified":"2026-05-22T11:32:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T16:32:21","slug":"cooper-young-just-cut-the-ribbon-on-a-four-year-labor-of-love","status":"publish","type":"news_press","link":"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/news\/cooper-young-just-cut-the-ribbon-on-a-four-year-labor-of-love\/","title":{"rendered":"Cooper-Young Just Cut the Ribbon on a Four-Year Labor of Love"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For four years, the Cooper-Young Garden Club quietly went to work on five blocks of plants with one goal in mind: to eliminate blight and bring beauty back to the neighborhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week, more than 2,000 native plants line the Hell-o Strip at the western entrance to the Cooper-Young Historic District, and on Friday, the city made it official with a ribbon-cutting attended by Memphis Mayor Paul Young and Society Memphis jookin dancers who turned the moment into a full celebration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It catches your attention,” Mayor Young said, “but most importantly, it’s something where the community was able to come together and work on something to beautify their neighborhood and community.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project is part of a broader citywide effort to address blight, but what makes this one stand out is its community-driven foundation. The Cooper-Young Garden Club did not wait for a solution. They built one, block by block, plant by plant, over four years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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