Garvan Woodland Gardens, 550 Arkridge Road, recently announced its schedule of events for July. All of the following events are at the botanical garden unless otherwise noted:
Art Exhibit
• Brushstrokes -- 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily from July 1-31 in the Magnolia Room.
Brushstrokes, a talented fine arts group with more than 30 gifted artists, will display a variety of original paintings in watercolor, pastel, oil and acrylic with an emphasis on the wonders of nature.
Special events
• "Brushwood Dance," An Art Installation by W. Gary Smith -- 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily on the garden grounds.
Gary Smith, FASLA of W. Gary Smith Design, is the featured artist for a yearlong exhibit entitled "Brushwood Dance," An Art Installation by W. Gary Smith. Smith is a nationally known landscape architect and artist who employs a very collaborative design process to create site-specific art installations crafted from materials harvested from the site.
Smith was on hand the week of April 25-29 to create the massive brushwood art installation piece. "Brushwood Dance" winds along Warren's Woodland Walk, ripples along rock walls, arches over the trail and undulates through the bulb meadow to its crescendo at the Three Sisters of Amity Daffodil Hill. The installation will be on display through spring 2017 and will be highlighted in the garden's seasonal displays such as Holiday Lights and Tulip Extravaganza. The installation is free for members, $15 for adults, $5 for children ages 6-12 and free for children younger than 5 years old.
• Fairy and Wizards Tea for Children -- 3 p.m. July 12 in the Magnolia Room.
Children are the honored guests at this summertime tea event. Food and beverages are served in the traditional English tea style with patrons enjoying assorted scones, finger sandwiches and desserts, all accompanied by a variety of flavorful hot teas. Children are welcome to dress as fairies or wizards for this fantasy-filled afternoon while the Gardens' own Tea Fairy entertains with a short lesson in tea etiquette, followed by stories to delight the young fairies in attendance. Admission is $27 for adult members, $32 for nonmember adults and $12 for children ages 12 and younger. Reserve online or call 501-262-9300.
• Faulkner County Chamber Music Festival Concert -- 1 p.m. July 23 in Anthony Chapel.
Celebrating 10 years of chamber music-making and friendship, the Faulkner Chamber Music Festival (FCMF) will kick off the 2016 summer series with an opening recital at Anthony Chapel. This year's festival will bring together musicians from the last 10 years of FCMF, performing a repertoire that represents the past, present and future. The event is free and open to the public. Call Jo Preece at 773-251-4719 or visit http://www.faulknerchambermusicfestival.com for more information.
Workshops and seminars
• Youth Theater Series with Lanie Carlson -- 10 and 11 a.m. July 2 and Aug. 6 in the Magnolia Room.
Starstuff Story Time, an interactive storytelling experience, will be held at 10 a.m. both days for children 5-8 years old. The read-through introduces the story to the cast, then the cast chooses their characters. Using costumes and props provided, the story is retold as the cast acts it out.
Starstuff Reader's Theater will be held at 11 a.m. both days for children ages 9-12. This event introduces the cast to a scene or chapter from a play or novel. The cast can choose characters and, using costumes and props provided, will read the scene while acting it out.
Admission is $10 per child, per class. Preregistration is required. Call 800-366-4664 for registration, or register online; choose appropriate date when purchasing tickets online.
• Wilderness Survival Camp -- 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 7-9.
Agriculturalist and adventure guru Scott Sullivan and naturalist Chelsea Preciado will present a three-day workshop where participants of all ages can learn and share survival skills. Sullivan will focus on fire-starting with natural and prepared materials. Other topics include shelter construction, edibles in the landscape and water purification. Each participant will prepare their own fire-starting kit made from natural materials that are found in abundance in the Ouachita Mountain environment. Once students have successfully started their own fires, they are welcome to practice the new skills, help other students and solidify their learning through teaching others. The workshop can be attended one, two or all three days. Admission for members is $85 for one day, $100 for two days or $115 for three days. Admission for nonmembers is $100 for one day, $125 for two days or $150 for three days.
• Garvan Rocks! with Sissy Hubbard -- 9-11 a.m. or 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. July 12 and Aug. 9 in the Magnolia Room and garden areas.
At last year's Celebrate Fall day, visitors of all ages enjoyed finding carefully hidden pieces of mineral treasure. Inspired by artist Bryan Payne's Doodlestones, Garvan Gardens has embraced the pursuit of making people smile. Local artist Sissy Hubbard will share the generations-old tradition of drawing on stones during this class. Participants will create their own Garvan rocks and hide them in the Gardens for others to find. Admission is $20 for member adults, $30 for nonmember adults and $10 for children under the age of 18. Preregistration required. Register online or call 800-366-4664.
• Starstuff Story Theater three-day workshop -- 10-11:30 a.m. July 14-16 in the Magnolia Room. Ages 6-12.
Using improvisation and the Gardens as inspiration, the cast will create characters and story to be performed for family and friends on the last day of the workshop at 11 a.m. July 16. Preregistration required. Admission is $30 per child. Register online or call 800-366-4664.
• Do It Yourself Series, presented by The Water Buffalo -- July 23 in the Magnolia Room at the following times:
10 a.m. -- Intro to Vegetable Fermenting, instructed by Kimberly Stoneman. Class will begin with a short history of food preservation using natural vegetable fermenting techniques and a discussion of the benefits of probiotic foods. Students will learn about the equipment needed, how to make simple ferments with salt brine, whey and other started cultures, and tips for successful ferments and proper storage. Stoneman will also demonstrate making sauerkraut and lacto-fermented daikon radishes and carrots.
11:30 a.m. -- Intro to Kombucha, instructed by Stoneman. Kombucha is a lightly fermented tea with probiotic qualities that is also quite tasty and effervescent. Class will cover equipment needed, basic kombucha brewing techniques and safety tips for proper fermenting control and storage. Stoneman will also demonstrate adding flavors during secondary fermentation.
2 p.m. -- Let's Make Beer, instructed by Nolen Buffalo. As a follow up to the Intro to Beer Brewing class, Buffalo will demonstrate how to make beer. He will use a combination of extracts and grains, hops and beer yeast while he explains why things are the way they are. This will be a fun class as participants learn all the tricks Buffalo has acquired over the years.
Admission is $15 for members and $20 for nonmembers. Door prizes will be given out and lunch will be available through the Chipmunk Cafe. Reservations required. Reserve online or call 800-366-4664.
Health and Fitness
• Plant ID Hikes with Rush Fentress, members only -- 8-9:30 a.m. Thursdays through mid-November. Meet in the Welcome Center.
Guests will enjoy a casual hike through the Evans Children's Adventure Garden and on to the Hixson Nature Preserve, home to dozens of Arkansas' native plant species. Facilitated by Garvan director of education Rush Fentress, participants are encouraged to share their knowledge of native botanical species while learning from others in this educational community. Hikes will be led at a comfortable, conversational pace. Admission is free. Membership required for early entry to gardens.
Entertainment on 06/28/2016