CELEBRATE THE ‘BLUES AND GREENS’ AT THE GARFIELD PARK CONSERVATORY’S 100 YEAR BIRTHDAY BASH!
Release Date: 04/04/08
In 1908, when the Garfield Park Conservatory first opened its glass doors to the public, the average price of a home was $4500, the first Ford Model T rolled off the assembly line costing customers $500 and the Chicago Cubs won the their last World Series Championship, which ironically enough, was played on the West Side of Chicago at a ball field called West Side Park, located at Polk and Wood streets.
Today, 100 years later, some things have changed and others remain the same – the Garfield Park Conservatory’s is still Chicago’s oasis, connecting city dwellers with nature as famed landscape designer Jens Jensen envisioned.
Join the Chicago Park District and the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance in celebrating 100 years of connecting city dwellers to nature under glass at the Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 N. Central Park Ave.on Sunday, April 13thfrom noon to 3p.m. at the Birthday Blues and Greens Party!
“This year we are making the celebration a special one with the birthday bash to reflecting the Blues and Greens of Chicago,” said Eunita Rushing, President of the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance. “Since Chicago is home to the Blues and the Conservatory has been the home for 100 years to lush, green plant life, the theme for this birthday party incorporates both with the exciting programming and events taking place that day.”
“We are so fortunate to have such a botanical treasure in our great City,” said Timothy J. Mitchell, Superintendent of the Chicago Park District. “For 100 years it has been connecting city residents to nature, thanks in large part to the vision of famed landscape architect Jens Jensen. The Chicago Park District is committed to keeping his vision alive for the next 100 years.”
The Birthday Blues and Greens Birthday celebration includes a live blues band, a special prize giveaway to all attendees, kid’s programs, free Vienna Beef hotdogs, popcorn and cupcakes for all visitors to enjoy! At 2pm sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to the Garfield Park Conservatory as special guests help blow out 100 candles. Birthday Party goers will also have the chance to watch and listen to storytellers perform historical tales from the West Side neighborhood. A giant card will be available for visitors to sign wishing the Garfield Park Conservatory a very happy 100th birthday. Also enjoy the following great education programming during the Blues and Greens Birthday Celebration:
The Conservatory’s Birthday Booth (Mobile Exploration Station): Decorate a special conservatory birthday cake, take a seed I.D. quiz, or make a Conservatory Birthday hat. Listen to Mendelssohn’s Spring Song, said to have inspired the soft trickle of the prairie waterfall in the Fern Room, and see if you can hear the similarities.
Sugar from the Sun Station (Mobile Exploration Station): Explore our new exhibit space, Sugar from the Sun, and learn about how plants use sunlight to build life. Travel beneath a dome of plants, meander through a lush grove of bananas, and visit our Sugar from the Sun station cart to participate in activities that help you understand how plants make their own food, and in turn, we get ours.
Paper Scavenger Hunt : Hunting for History:During this self-guided scavenger hunt, we’ll let you in on exciting historical secrets, introduce you to centennial celebrities, both plant and mineral, and generally show you a good (literally) old time. In this fun self-guided hunt), families, kids, students, and teachers work together using educational hints and photo details to find time inthe Garfield Park Conservatory.
Past, Present, & Future of Plants (Children’s Garden Exploration Station): Read a plant’s future by examining our seed collection, explore a plant’s past by digging for plant fossils, and get a close-up look of the green and growing present by viewing leaves from the Conservatory’s collection on our light table. Enjoy our soil table by planting a pretend garden, building a mini-banana habitat or digging for dinosaur bones during this special staffed drop-in time Help decorate a special conservatory birthday cake and, before you go, make sure to slide down our flower-stem slide.
Centennial Celebrations (Family Make-&-Take Sessions): Our traditional take-home activity time gets a special historic twist with the Conservatory’s centennial celebration. Make some noisemakers from seeds, construct a miniature replica of the Conservatory in a take home terrarium, and much, much more.
Conserve-A-Story Exhibit: A Collaborative Exhibition Celebrating a Neighborhood's Unwritten History: “Conserve-A-Story” will unveil some of the untold stories of the surrounding area through the eyes of those who have lived here. This exhibition is a collaborative community project, in which residents showcase neighborhood history through a collection of narratives and portraits. Stories are told using autobiographical objects, audio interviews, photographs, and recipes.
The not-for-profit Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance, which celebrates its 10th anniversary next year, was incorporated in 1998 to support the Conservatory through the development of programming, events and visitor services. Since it was formed, the Alliance has helped contribute to attendance growth from less than 10,000 annually to nearly 200,000 in 2006.
Through its work, the Alliance provides essential cultural, environmental and educational enrichment programming for Chicago visitors and residents, especially those living in the surrounding West Side communities. Thousands of adults and children learn about plant science and gardening through school tours, teacher development workshops, educational and recreational family activities, gardening classes, workshops and more.
The Conservatory, which is owned and operated by the Chicago Park District, is open every day of the year, with free admission and parking. (Special exhibit and activities fees may apply.) For the latest information regarding Garfield Park Conservatory’s Centennial and programming, call 773-638-1766 extension 13, or visit www.garfieldconservatory.org.
- Contact Phone: 312 742 7529