Sorensen Neighborhood

Spotlight on a Neighbor

Sep 02, 2007

Sylvia Kubes is an avid gardener who has been beautifying the Sorensen neighborhood since she moved into her home on the 3200 block of Yosemite Ave. in 1973.

Sylvia is 88 years young and still spends her summer days gardening and enjoying life on her back yard porch, which is cozy but also full of light. Her yard is dominated by winding swaths of hostas, flowers and a bountiful vegetable garden. Sylvia regularly gives away produce to friends and family and puts perennials out on her front steps for anyone to take. ?“I live for my yard,?” she said.

She has volunteered with the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Auxiliary since 1988, working on special events, home garden tours and more. In 2003, Sylvia won St. Louis Park?’s Evergreen Award. The prize, an alpine spruce, is growing proudly near her garage.

Three of Sylvia?’s four children live outside Minnesota. Her youngest son, Eddie, is in Inver Grove Heights. Sylvia recalls that ?“a lot of fussy old people?” lived in the neighborhood in the 1970s, and she says her neighbors are much more fun and social these days. She enjoys hosting Christmas teas for neighborhood girls.