Good morning, Lodi. This week the city is basically handing you a pair of gloves and pointing you outside. There's a beginner succulent class for everyone who keeps killing them, a family garden morning at Oak Grove, and a moss wall hanging night at Olive Crush that sounds super cool. And if none of that sounds like you, there's also a rib cook-off and live music all around town so you're covered either way.

Let's get into it. — Hunter Talamantez

Ready to get your hands dirty? Fresh Air Finds has everything you need for a good nature outing without going far. Here are 4 local activities to get you outside and into nature this week

Love Lodi Day Green Projects | Saturday, April 25 | Morning rally then service projects

Love Lodi Day pulls together volunteers of all ages for projects all over town, including things like park cleanups, planting, and outdoor beautification. It is a simple way for families to spend a few hours outside, meet neighbors, and teach kids that taking care of our city is just part of living here. Go here to register for one of the many service projects around town. 

📍Hutchins Street Square rally, then projects across Lodi, 125 S Hutchins St, Lodi, CA 95240

Succulent 101 Workshop | Saturday, April 18 | 10:30 am

Star Succulent Nursery is doing a Succulent 101 Workshop this Saturday morning. Hands-on, beginner-friendly, covers the basics of keeping these things alive. Watering, soil, propagation. If you've bought one and watched it slowly give up on you, this is probably worth the hour. Sign up at starsucculentnursery.com or call (209) 639-4028.

📍 Star Succulent Nursery, 14447 E Tokay Colony Rd, Lodi, CA

Garden Work Party | Saturday, April 18 | 9:00 am to 11:00 am

Grab your gloves and head out to the 3rd Saturday Garden Work Party at the Nature Center at Shumway in Oak Grove Regional Park. You and the kids can help trim the Native Plant Trail, tidy up the pollinator garden, or even do a little spring cleaning inside the Nature Center if the weather is weird.

Closed toed shoes are a must, and bringing your own work gloves is a good idea, especially for little helpers. Volunteers under 18 need to stay with a parent the whole time, so it turns into an easy built in family green thumb morning while you learn more about native plants close to home.

📍Oak Grove Nature Center at Shumway, Oak Grove Regional Park, 4520 W Eight Mile Rd, Stockton, CA 95209

Sip and Craft: Moss Wall Hanging | Tuesday, April 21 | 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm

Olive Crush Farms has been doing these craft nights for a while now and they keep selling out. This one is a moss wall hanging. You show up, they hand you everything you need, and for three hours you learn how to work with moss and actually make something worth putting on a wall. Snacks and non-alcoholic drinks are included. BYOB means you can make it as much of a night out as you want.

No experience needed. That's kind of the point. It's the kind of thing that sounds a little intimidating until you're actually there and realize everyone else is figuring it out at the same time. Tickets are $65 and all sales are final, so grab your spot before it fills up at olivecrushfarms.com.

📍 Olive Crush Farms, 4 W Lodi Ave, Lodi, CA 95240

The Guy Who Just Shows Up

Bill Moersch has been a steady and generous presence in Lodi for a long time. In 2018, he started the CommUNITY Service Team with a simple but powerful idea: see the need, meet the need. What began as a local effort has grown into something remarkable, with the team reporting hundreds of thousands of dollars donated to local causes, thousands of volunteers connected to places where they could make a difference, and more than 12,800 meals served through Saturday lunches at the Lodi Access Center. Along the way, the team also helped save $80,000 for a city program that needed the space, and every bit of that work has been done by volunteers who receive no pay for what they do.

What makes Bill’s work especially meaningful is how much of it happens quietly, without fanfare. Whether it’s replacing flooring at the Salvation Army Hope Harbor, buying socks and underwear for someone at the hospital, or finding an electric organ for a musician at the Access Center, his work reflects a simple commitment to helping people in real ways. In 2024, Lodi Mayor Lisa Craig-Hensley presented him with the Mayor’s Community Service Award, and in 2025 the city honored him with the Key to Lodi. Learn more or get involved at communityserviceteam.com.

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Thanks for reading! It means more than you know that you take a few minutes out of your day to stay connected with our little corner of the world. See you around Lodi! 🍇