It was a day of sweet and sweaty labor for a prettier Newberry park.

And though volunteers may say God had the biggest hand in beautifying the Wells Japanese Garden, 40 sets of hands from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints pitched in.

“I think it’s more heavenly father’s wonder,” says Mark Waldrop, workday event coordinator for the project. “We just sort of added a little bit of help.”

Workers ages 6 to 83 revived the Lindsay Street park May 1 with supplies from the city—sod, wood to make garden pathways, pebbles, azaleas and granite for two park benches.

The work from the church doubly satisfied the city’s need for park work, and the denomination’s call for a Southeast Regional Day of Service.

Grant money to the city bought supplies, but the funding was not enough.

“They didn’t have enough in the grant to supply all the labor and all that was necessary to do it,” says Waldrop. “So that’s what we did.”

From morning to afternoon, the crew planted trees and azalea bushes, created flower beds and built garden benches and pathways. They also raked though muck, clearing ponds and roofs of weeds and debris and pruned garden growth.

And there were no lazy breaks.

The crew stole quick energy with ham and turkey sandwiches, fresh fruit, brownies, lemonade and water, courtesy of women at the Glenn Street church.

Then they kept working.

“We just sort of ate when we could and as we got hungry, just to keep our bodies nourished so we could have enough energy to keep going,” says Waldrop.

The younger crew members pulled weeds. The worker over age 80 hauled off wheelbarrows of debris.

Even before Saturday the work began. Waldrop and 12 job crew leaders met on-site with landscaper Bobby Sanders and the city to fine tune preparations.

In fact, church representatives met with city representatives in January to plan for the May workday.

And “oh yeah,” says Waldrop, the workers sweated Saturday while planting and digging and clearing.

But Waldrop mostly recalls a “very pleasant day.”

“It didn’t get humid until later that afternoon,” he says. “The rains held off and it was slightly overcast, but it was very pleasant working conditions.”

The labor paid off.

“It really looks nice now,” says LDS church member James Lawrence who helped in project communication.

“As you enter the gardens, you will first notice the new stone pathway that has been laid,” says Nancy Nelson, an LDS church member. “On either side of the pathway, flower beds of roses and hostas have been planted. At the far back fence, eight new white azaleas are in place and ready to bloom next spring. The barren areas of dirt are now covered in sod grass.”

The garden is picturesque now, but before plugging in to help at the park, Waldrop says he mostly knew the Wells Japanese Garden as “somewhat rundown.”

But the labor endears the park to Waldrop, he says.

After years of never visiting the garden, the day after the final touches were in place Saturday, he returned.

“It was just nice to ride back by to sort of look at it again after all the equipment had been removed and nobody was there,” says Waldrop. “It was peaceful to go back and look at it.”