April 19, 2008 to
April 20, 2008

Hollandia Botanical Gardens

Start Time: 10:00 on Saturday and 11:00 on Sunday

Cost:

For more information: www.hollandiabotanical.com

- What better way to welcome spring than the Hollandia Botanical Gardens’ Second Annual Spring Bulb Festival? On April 19th and 20th, people can get a vivid preview of the public Garden planned for the 11-acre site along Buck Creek, stretching from Warder and Water Streets to Sherman Avenue. HBG volunteers have planted thousands of bulbs in demonstration beds, and the varied blooms will be creating a spectacular site in the once overgrown area. The weekend will be packed with entertainment, educational lecture-demos, spring and summer bulb sales, craft vendors, food and fun.

This year’s Festival features all-day activities for children, food from Rudy’s Smoke House and ice cream from Young’s Jersey Dairy, and an array of musical performances. Performers include the Chinese Dragon Dancers, Julie Garrigan--harpist, Just Eve--pop singers, the Springfield Banjo and Brass band, ensembles of the Springfield Youth Symphony, Stuffed Possum and Cornbread old fashioned fiddler group, and the WittFree Rock band.

Presentations include “Insect Pests of Dried Plant Material and Wood” by Gerald Wegner, “Rain Gardens” by Wes Duren of Marvin’s Organic Gardens, “Seasonal Chores for the Landscape” by Brian Kampman of Rothchild’s Berry Farm, “Using Native Bulbs and Spring Bloomers in the Landscape” by Amber Haynes, and “Weaving with Natural Plant Materials from the Landscape” by Linda Sever,

Festival hours are 10:00 a.m. through 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 19th and 11:00 a.m. through 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 20th. The event is free and open to the public.

For a complete Festival schedule, visit www.HollandiaBotanical.com or contact the HBG Office at 322-3122. Also available on the web site are renderings of the Master Plan for the Garden and driving directions to the site at Warder and Water Streets.

Festival parking is available in the Kissell Center lot—with shuttle service to the Festival entranceat Warder and Water Streets. HBG will provide golf cart service for persons with mobility problems from the entrance to and from the mail Festival area.

Principal sponsors for the Festival are the Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors’ Bureau: Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce, MeadowView Growers, and the Springfield News-Sun.