As Keep Smyrna Beautiful says goodbye to its 40th year, the three longest tenured members of the board of directors came together to reflect on past successes and future goals of the organization. Board Chair Phyllis Owens joined the board in 2015. Lisa Castleberry came on in 2014. Nell Robinson, the longest serving member, joined in 2004. Together, the three women have contributed an...

"If I have spare time and I can do something to help my community, volunteering helps me feel that my life is more meaningful," KSB volunteer Maria Shiung recently shared. A Smyrna resident since 1985, Maria initially moved here for work and has kept roots in the city ever since. Toward the end of her career, she moved again for work, that time to Minnesota. Her son was always here, s...

You may know that Keep Smyrna Beautiful sells jonquil bulbs every fall, but do you know why? The beginning of jonquils in Smyrna According to Mike Terry’s book A Simpler Time about the history of the Taylor-Brawner house, jonquils were introduced by Stephen and Louisa Taylor when their son Henry Taylor shipped the bulbs to Smyrna from his home in Spokane, Washington in the late ...

For visitors to downtown Smyrna, the city arboretum located around the duck pond is many things. It's a quiet lunch spot, part of their daily walk, and a chance to interact with local wildlife, namely ducks, turtles, and geese. Before ground broke on the arboretum, however, it was an often-muddy slope with a few scattered trees. Putting Down Roots Under the direction of then-directo...

For many longtime Smyrna residents, Keep Smyrna Beautiful (KSB) and Ann Kirk are synonymous. What many may not know is that environmental advocacy and education were a second career for this beloved former KSB Executive Director. A New Beginning Ann Kirk actually began her career as a registered nurse. It wasn't until she subbed in for her husband one day at her daughter's school that ...