PRNewswire - Troy-Bilt, a leader in lawn and garden equipment, is building nine community reading gardens throughout the U.S. this year.

"Research finds that green space produces consistently positive impact of less aggressive behavior, thus helping reduce violence," said William Sullivan, professor of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Sullivan conducted extensive studies on the impact of nature in urban areas.

"A community reading garden helps create positive effects. There should be hundreds of thousands of reading gardens all over the country," he said.

"A community reading garden brings people together and improves the environment," said Heidi Ketvertis of Troy-Bilt. "Gardens can be enriching, stress-free zones. When the garden is devoted to reading, it adds the benefit of encouraging a love of books and learning."

The new community reading gardens are designed and created by the expert Troy-Bilt Landscapes America team. The first community reading garden took root in hurricane-ravaged Biloxi, Mississippi, where the Troy-Bilt team also restored he city's historic heartbeat, the Town Green.

According to Ketvertis, community reading gardens are scheduled this year for Atlanta, Dallas, Louisville, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Baltimore and New York City.

Community gardens are a growing trend, according to the Community Gardening Association.

"We want to grow the idea of reading gardens across the country," said Ketvertis. "Our aim is to inspire. We want people to see a neglected plot and envision a reading garden to improve the environment and lives."

For more information, visit www.troybilt.com.

Live by author John Michael Lerma's commandments and you will impress your guests with homemade apple butter, enjoy the pleasure of fresh vegetables, and immerse yourself in the joy of eating and good company with his IPPY-nominated cookbook, Garden County: Where Everyone Is Welcome to Sit at the Table.

Garden County revels in the romanticism of cooking, gathering, and savoring. Lerma's grandmother believed fresh ingredients and homegrown staples were imperative for delicious food - a philosophy Lerma weaves throughout his recipes. But Garden County also emphasizes simplicity when it comes to planning and enjoying your gatherings.

Garden County finds ten unconventional excuses to gather your friends. From a luau on a Hawaiian island to a picnic at a GLBT pride celebration, Lerma begins each gathering with his own story and includes a suggested menu, items for planning ahead, themes, and grocery lists. The "Academy Awards Gathering" suggests gourmet pizzas, "Champagne Slurry with Frozen Fruits and Berries," and four ways of dining on salmon, among other dishes, while you root for your Oscar pick.

Whether you are welcoming your friends to a new home, preparing a feast in your garden, or opening summer with a backyard barbecue, Garden County inspires amateurs and epicures alike to indulge in one of life's most pleasurable combinations: food and friends.

The book is available at www.amazon.com or www.gardencounty.info.

Xtremely Alaska is going to new extremes with creative tours of The Last Frontier. Xtremely Alaska has been offering popular Alaskan guided tour activities like hiking, biking, kayaking, ice climbing, glacier viewing, fishing, mountain biking, dog sledding, for over five years, but now a venue of new tours - like evening bird watching tours and mountainside watercolor painting sessions - are setting them apart.

"We're really carving a unique niche in the travel and tour industry by catering guided tours to a wide array of tastes, preferences, and skill levels." says Xtremely Alaska Adventure Guide Service General Manager Rebecca McKee. "We create a custom package for our client that provides an unprecedented way to experience the ambiance of Alaska."

Xtremely Alaska offers specialty tours from 3 - 10 days, as well as all-inclusive custom packages. For more information, visit www.xtremelyalaska.com.

You could say it's a product that offers "staying" power for chain and bead jewelry makers.

For years, jewelry designers and hobbyists have struggled with the often-tedious work of keeping chains straight and tight as they create beautiful bracelets and necklaces. But now a new device call the Chain Sta is making the manufacture of bead and charm chain jewelry easy, efficient and effective. The device sports strong alligator-like clasps that securely suspend a jewelry chain between two posts so that beads, dangles, and charms can be easily and quickly attached.

"It's like a second set of hands for anyone who uses it," explains Chain Sta inventor Jim Kennedy. "The Chain Sta clamps, posts, and hooks are sturdy and will keep a chain tight during a variety of projects." The Chain Sta's upright poles are six inches tall and sit seven inches apart. The alligator clips on top exert 5 pounds of pressure to insure that the chain does not slip.

For more information on the Chain Sta ($12) and project ideas, visit www.chainsta.com.