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Chair's Corner...
By Dennis Patton
Executive Committee Chair
September was a busy month for the Friends of the Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. The month started off with the celebration of a great year for the organization with the annual meeting, a Monet-inspired theme entitled Changing Impressions. Next on the schedule was the Overland Park Council President's Golf Tournament held at St. Andrews. A record number of golfers picked up the clubs and played a round to help support the Arboretum.
The month of activities continued with a new event, the BioBlitz. Thanks to the leadership of FOTA volunteer Dan Johnson, budding scientists discovered new and interesting facts about the flora and fauna that inhabit the Arboretum. The whirlwind month concluded with the annual installment of Arts for Kids.  This yearly event allows kids to connect with nature in a fun and interactive way. Thanks to the many volunteers who made this event happen. There is one last 2012 event on the books and that is the ever-popular Holiday Luminary Walk, which will take place on four weekend nights, November 23 and 24, and November 30 and December 1. This event has a special place in my heart as my involvement goes back to the very first event. I served as a member of the first planning committee and then a couple years as the event chair. Since that time the event has grown, adding new attractions. But the uniqueness of this event is the beauty of the candlelit paths meandering through the Arboretum.
FOTA is already hard at work making plans for 2013. The New Year will bring with it an admission fee. We are currently working on new events and attractions to keep bringing you back to the Arboretum. Stay tuned to the newsletter for announcements of events. Remember, your membership in FOTA includes free admission. If you are not a member of FOTA, then I would encourage your family to join. A FOTA membership is an easy way to help support the continual growth of the Arboretum and Botanical Gardens.
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 Train Garden News...
The Leatherwood Depot is now under construction in the Train Garden. Stop by and check out its progress.
Volunteers who are interested in working in the Train Garden may email Phyllis Merrick or call 913-685-3604 to volunteer. |
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FOTA Chair Dennis Patton:
Dennis.Patton@jocogov.org
Volunteer Coordinator Phyllis Merrick:
VolunteerCoordinator@opkansas.org
FOTA Coordinator Suzie Swyden:
fotacoordinator@yahoo.com
Send photos and news to:
judy@springvalleynursery.com
Commemorative Gift and
Donation opportunities can be accessed online. If you are interested in the Friends of the Arboretum "Planned Giving" program, please contact Teresa Stohs.
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The Arb / October 2012
Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens
1/2 mile west of Hwy. 69
at 179th & Antioch
913-685-3604
www.opabg.org
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 Tireless and dedicated FOTA volunteer photographer Mark Higgins made this amazing picture as he was leaving the Volunteer Appreciation Dinner on October 17. Our eNewsletters would be nothing without Mark's beautiful photos. It's easy to write the words, sitting in a comfortable spot, whenever the spirit moves. Mark, however, has to be where the action is, working in the dark with frozen fingers at the Luminary Walk, and dodging children at Arts for Kids. Or, as in this example, having his camera always at the ready when the perfect Arboretum sunset just happens to be totally awesome. Thank you, Mark. Thanks also to Karen Kerkhoff and her fine staff for the great food and fun at the Volunteer Appreciation Dinner - one more reason why volunteering at the Arboretum is so very rewarding.
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Luminary Walk Preparations Underway
Luminary Walk volunteers have been planning this year's event for months now, and by the time it is over, they will have contributed nearly 4,000 hours of their time in making this the best Luminary Walk ever. (Pictured below, a 2011 volunteer lights a candle.)
 The Holiday Luminary Walk will be held this year on the weekend right after Thanksgiving (November 23-24) and also the following weekend (November 30 and December 1) from 5 to 9 all four nights. Come right at 5, as dusk descends over the lighted paths, or come later in the evening and enjoy the night-time woods. If the sky is clear there should be a nearly-full moon on the second weekend.
Tickets are $7 per person, with children five and under free. Parking is also free. An exciting addition to the Holiday Luminary Walk this year will be horse-drawn hay wagon rides.Tickets for the horse-drawn wagon rides are an additional $3 per rider, with babies under the age of one riding free.
Best known for its trails illuminated by thousands of candles and lighted displays, the Luminary Walk also features a bonfire with refreshments, loads of holiday music and entertainment, and Santa Claus from 6 to 8 pm each night.
Mark your calendar and make plans NOW!
2011 Luminary Walk photos by Mark Higgins
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Volunteers in the Spotlight
We would like to recognize Chuck and Sandy Garrett for their long-time dedication to the FOTA volunteer program.
Sandy was very instrumental in developing the Nature Crafts portion of Arts for Kids, an extremely popular activity which has become the event's signature feature. Kids from years past still talk about  the hedge apple heads and locust tree pod snakes they made at the Arboretum. Since 2002, Sandy has given at least 1,015 hours of time and effort, and probably many more hours that went unrecorded.
Sandy and the other Nature Crafts ladies start planning the crafts in May and work countless hours during the summer, planning crafts that will delight the kids and be easily accomplished by the little hands of children ages 2 to 12.
Then they collect the hedge apples, locust pods, acorns, leaves, twigs, flowers and other natural items that the children will use. Set-up, clean-up, and the two-day event itself are a marathon they barely survive. But they do - and then they start planning the next year's event! Arts for Kids would be nothing without Sandy and her crew.
Chuck has been the driving force behind the Prairie Restoration project. He educated himself on all aspects of such a project, including government requirements for funding. With help from other volunteers, invasive trees were removed. Seeds were planted. Controlled burns were conducted. It takes many, many years to fully restore a native prairie, but today there are 170 acres at the south side of the Arboretum property that are in the process of being restored, all spearheaded by Chuck. He also organizes Prairie Tours, where visitors can see Big Blue Stem grass waving in the wind, along with seasonal wildflowers and prairie wildlife.
 Chuck also developed the Hay Wagon Rides at the Arts for Kids event, and the rides are still a favorite activity for children and adults. Since 2002 Chuck has reported 1,850 volunteer hours, and we know there are probably more that went uncounted.
Chuck and Sandy's contributions to FOTA and the Arboretum are priceless, and we want to give a huge round of applause to them both for their time and efforts on behalf of the Arboretum. |
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