If you need proof that the Greater Johnstown Area is teeming with recreational activities and outdoor life, then all you would need to do is walk a 1.5-mile path beginning at the top of the Inclined Plane. From the start, you would find the apex of many downhill mountain biking trails, routinely managed by Friends of the Inclined Plane Trails. If you would ride one of these trails downhill, you would find yourself deposited at the base of the Inclined Plane, with a gateway to downtown Johnstown and the Stonycreek River, which is noticeably clear of any acid mine drainage.

Our path will not go down these trails, but instead take us down Bucknell Avenue to Millcreek Road. Here we will find SEADS Garden Center sitting serenely on the corner, its location perfectly juxtaposed across from Grandview Cemetery.  From there, we will proceed west on Millcreek Road, merge onto Menoher Boulevard, make a right after Westmont Hilltop Elementary School and find ourselves at the entrance of Stackhouse Park. Not only will we find seven miles of hiking trails here, but the park also hosts the Spangler Family Pavilion, and the newly installed Storywalk Trail, where children can read books page by page while hiking this path.

Recently, employees of Spangler Subaru found themselves at the center of this route at SEADS Garden Center, where they did some planting for the upcoming season. SEADS is not a traditional garden supply store. As a non-profit, its mission is to provide sustainable employment for adults with disabilities. The organization allows these employees to earn a stable income while letting them work at their own pace and hours. To get ready for the busy season, SEADS recruits many different volunteer groups to prepare plants by potting soil, and transferring freshly sprouted plugs into plastic trays.

Last month, we sent a team of four employees, who managed to prepare 3,072 plants over a three-hour period. It may not be much, but this hard work will give SEADS a kick start to the growing season.