What a year this has been! From the moving ceremony on Bigelow Chapel Lawn in September commemorating the 175th Anniversary of the consecration of the Cemetery to the unveiling of the restored chancel window in Bigelow Chapel, from the seven free lectures at the Boston Public Library (October - May) to the exhibition at the Vose Galleries, Boston of the works of artists buried or cremated at Mount Auburn (February 1 - March 8th), this year has been one of rich and varied cultural events. Concerts by the Pro Arte Chamber Music Orchestra and soloist Jean Danton and pianist Thomas Stumpf in the chapels of Mount Auburn rounded out the year.

We are deeply grateful to the thousands of you who have attended some or all of these events over the last twelve months and to our cultural partners, speakers, musicians, artists, conservators and historians who, together with our Trustees, staff and donors, have made them possible.

On June 14, a Gala dinner, which promises to be a truly once-in-a-lifetime occasion, will be held at the Cemetery to "cap" the milestone year.

Other celebratory events continue this fall, including two organ recitals featuring the work of E. Powers Biggs on Sunday, September 30, 2007, at 2:00 and 5:00 PM at Adolphus Busch Hall at Harvard University.

The striking "flowers" of the Kousa Dogwood are actually the pointed white bracts that appear below clusters of smaller, greenish-yellow inflorescences. Showy bracts that start out white and fade to pink attract many visitors to the Kousa Dogwood on the eastern end of Vesper Path at the Cemetery every spring.

The Kousa Dogwood tree retains interest throughout the summer and into autumn when it produces rasperry-like hanging fruit and reddish-purple leaves. All year around visitors may find delight in the mottled tree bark of the Kousa Dogwood which exfoliates, revealing a pattern of tannish yellow-to-brown and grayish-white lenticels.

Learn more about Mount Auburn's horticultural collections.

Join David Barnett, Vice President of Operations and Horticulture, Mount Auburn, Robert H. Stymeist, Brookline Bird Club's statistician and Bird Observer's bird sightings compiler, and Marj Rines, naturalist, Massachusetts Audubon Society, for a walking tour to learn how and why Mount Auburn has remained a significant animal habitat and what is currently being done to make the Cemetery even more attractive to birds, butterflies and other wildlife.

Bring binoculars, if you have them. This event is free to the public. Please register online or call 617-607-1995 to reserve a space for this special tour.

In case of severe weather, the alternative date is Thursday, June 7th. Call 617-607-1983 for weather- related updates.

For those who appreciate the early morning or who are looking for a brief excursion before work, this free one hour walk will begin promptly at 7:00 AM and will highlight what's in bloom this time of year. No pre-registration is necessary.

Please check www.mountauburn.org for our summer program listings later this month. Friends of Mount Auburn members will be receiving their summer program brochures in the mail by mid-June.