Ten Broeck Mansion Gardening & Community Days 2026

Join Us for Community Gardening and Clean-Up Days on the grounds of the historic Ten Broeck Mansion!

Help keep our historic gardens looking their finest and open to our community! We need your help to pick up trash and debris, remove invasive plants, tidy our gardens, gather sticks and branches, rake leaves, bag up the collected material, and plant historic and indigenous plants and bulbs. Your help keeps our historic gardens open to our community and provides a safe and inviting setting for our 100% free family education programs.

Who Can Participate?

• Everyone: Individuals, families, and friends - including teens and children ages 8 and up
• Community Groups: Neighborhood associations, clubs, schools, and churches/places of worship
• Special Opportunity for Businesses and Organizations: This is a fantastic way to promote your work while giving back! We invite your business or organization to sponsor a Garden or Clean-Up Day. As a sponsor, you'll receive:

• A custom Certificate of Appreciation
• Exclusive Social Media Coverage of your support
• Business Partner Sponsorship Options Include: Monetary donations, donations of supplies, and/or a group of volunteers from your organization participating in the event (average of 1.5-2 hours, longer times available) - a great team-building experience for your employees.

Join us in making our historic gardens a beautiful, welcoming space for everyone.

Wish list for 2026:

• Contractor (trash) bags
• Multi-packs of garden-weight gloves
• Trash grippers
• Heavy-duty, new (or like new) garden trimming or pruning shears
• Please email us about these and other garden needs.

Special Projects for 2026:

• Invasive Plant Species Removal
• Erosion Control
• Helping care for our sidewalk herb garden
• Other projects available!

Opportunities:

Friday Garden Days: 9:30-11:30 am (first and third Fridays)**: focus on light gardening (planting, mulching, weeding, thinning plants). Gardeners of all abilities welcome. We welcome those new to gardening and can provide training.

Saturdays Clean-up Days 9:30-11:30 am (first and third Saturdays)**: focus on grounds, trash-pick up, stick-pick up, light raking. All abilities welcome.

**Please note that the first garden and community days will be on the second Friday and Saturday of the month (April 10 and April 11).

• Please dress as outlined below. Gloves are provided or bring your own. Hats and sunscreen are recommended.
• Ages 8-16 are welcome, but must be supervised by a parent at all times. Ages 16-18 must have a parent or guardian's signature on our permission form (provided at check-in).
• Light refreshments provided. To help cut down on plastics, please bring your own water bottle if possible.
• Free parking in our off-street parking lot off Livingston Avenue. Directions: Use GPS address 136 Livingston Avenue.

For your safety, we request that participants agree to the following ACHA safety guidelines annually, listed below. Release forms will be provided on days of event.

1. I understand safety comes first. I will promptly inform ACHA Staff of any safety issues I have encountered.

2. I will not run or engage in other activities to compromise my or others’ safety.

3. I will take care for uneven surfaces and look carefully before stepping into areas of high grass.

4. I will adopt a section that is safe for me to work in. I will contact ACHA staff to ask for a new location if needed.

5. I will wear appropriate work gloves (provided or bring your own, no open-toes shoes or sandals). I will wear long pants for work on slopes, and appropriate footwear - boots required on slopes. I will face oncoming traffic and stay well away from traffic and pavement.

6. I will use heavy-weight gloves for picking up: metal, wire, glass. I will notify ACHA staff immediately when finding hazardous items. I will use good judgement when picking up items that are potentially hazardous, such as pieces of sharp glass or hazardous items. I will notify ACHA staff if I find needles or medical waste, and follow staff member's direction or guidelines for the removal of these items. I will check plant areas for hazardous materials before working/weeding(gloves at all times recommended).

7. I understand children ages 8-16 and up must be supervised at all times by an adult or guardian. I understand no work on slopes or along roads for children ages 8-16. I agree to supervise any children I may bring with me. Students ages 16-18 may work independently but need to have the written permission of a parent or guardian. Forms will be provided or are available in advance upon request: [email protected]

8. I will represent the ACHA in a positive and respectful manner to our community.

New: Be a Ten Broeck Mansion Volunteer Team Leader

Be a leader! The Albany County Historical Association/ Ten Broeck Mansion hosts garden and community days held the 1st and 3rd Fridays and Saturdays of the month April – October. Demonstrate your leadership skills by becoming a team leader at our garden and community days. The ACHA provides leadership and safety training. We value our volunteer’s talents and time, and we need leaders to help us draw on our volunteers’ skill to sustainably care for our gardens and grounds. As a Team Leader, you'll gain invaluable experience managing resources, guiding volunteers, and ensuring a safe and productive environment, all while contributing to the preservation of the Ten Broeck Mansion's beautiful grounds. This opportunity is a great to grow your leadership experience, provide a positive impact on your community, and grow your resume.

Team Leaders:

· Manage supplies used during the volunteer event.

· Help manage attendance.

· Help manage safety form registration.

· Help guide volunteers to new projects or project areas.

· Help provide hospitality.

· Help monitor for safety.

Team Leaders agree to:

· Attend an in-person training

· Read and model the behavior in our Code of Ethics

· Read and model the safety outlined in our Landscape Safety Agreements

Qualifications

· Receive training on safety issues provided by the ACHA

· Attend 2 or more garden/ community days

· Have a positive outlook and passion for the environment and community

Contact us to learn more: [email protected]

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Albany County Historical Association | Ten Broeck Mansion