This Weekend: Halloween Comes Early

Posted in Programs and Events on September 20 2013, by Matt Newman

Summer bows out this weekend as we pack away our sandals, margaritas, sunscreen and park picnics and ready the scarf-and-peacoat ensembles. Officially, the first day of autumn is this Sunday. And nothing screams the merits of fall like jack-o’-lanterns, scarecrows, bugs, bats, and snakes, right? Emphasis on the “scream,” though it’s all in good fun!

Saturday is the opening day of The Haunted Pumpkin Garden, so of course we’re doing things big with spooky Halloween events and activities in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden and the Clay Family Picnic Pavilions, to start. You’re welcome to sit in on an expert carving as gourds become ghouls in the Discovery Center, or interact with some of the skittering, slithering creatures that make the holiday what it is in the pavilions.

Elsewhere in the Garden, we’re all about demos. Our gardeners for public education will be on deck in the Home Gardening Center with enlightening how-tos on the late-season, under-the-radar beauties known as salvias. And in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden, we’re all about cooking demonstrations with seasonal, fresh-picked edibles twice a day on Saturday and Sunday. It should give those of you joining us for Saturday night’s Family Dinner with Mario Batali’s Chefs a tasty glimpse into the coming feast.

Toward the close of Saturday afternoon, you’ll also want to make your way toward the Perennial Garden, where poets Patricia Carlin, Adam Fitzgerald, and John Murillo will recite classic verse and original works to give these summer nights a proper send-off.

The coming months promise a cornucopia of new events and exhibitions, so stay tuned!

Saturday, September 21

Bird Walk – 11 a.m.
Meet at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center
The diverse habitats of the Botanical Garden offer visitors a chance to see dozens of species of birds throughout the year. Bring your binoculars and walk the Garden grounds with an expert to learn about bird-friendly habitats, migrating species, and birds that make a permanent home at the Garden.

Pumpkin Carver’s Studio – 11 a.m. – 5 p .m.
In the Discovery Center’s Bendheim Global Greenhouse
Watch how pumpkin creations are carved as an expert carver translates ideas into art. Learn some tips to try at home on your own pumpkins and gourds.

Ugh! Bugs & Creepy Creatures of Halloween – 12 & 2 p.m.
At the Clay Family Picnic Pavilions
Some of the animals that make us scream are actually the coolest animals around. Come slither, slide, creep, and scurry along with us and learn why these “creepy” animals aren’t so scary after all. Participants will meet critters from around the world for some hands-on animal presentations and discover the unique adaptations which help them survive in their habitats.

Native Plant Garden Tour – 12:30 (with ASL interpreter) & 2:30 p.m.
Meet at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Join a tour guide for an insider’s view of the newly designed Native Plant Garden. Enjoy a mosaic of nearly 100,000 native trees, wildflowers, ferns and grasses designed to flourish in every season.

Home Gardening Demonstration: Sultry Salvias – 2 p.m.
In the Home Gardening Center
Salvias are some of the unsung heroes in late-season displays. Join us and become familiar with some of the lesser-known, colorful flowers in the garden.

A Season in Poetry – 4 p.m.
In The Perennial Garden
Celebrate the season with renowned poets, Patricia Carlin, Adam Fitzgerald, and John Murillo, reading classic favorites as well as their own work at one of the largest botanical gardens in the United States. Co-presented with the Poetry Society of America

Family Dinner with Mario Batali’s Chefs: A MasterCard® Priceless NY Event–5-7:30 p.m.
In the Family Garden
Special Ticket Required: $75 per adult and $30 per child (under 12 years of age); space is limited so book early to ensure availability.
September 21 featuring Chef “Dodo” Fortunato Nicotra of Felidia — See the Menu

Celebrate the Edible Academy and Mario Batali’s Kitchen Gardens with chefs from Mario’s acclaimed restaurants. Each dinner features a three-course, family-style menu designed by one of Mario’s chefs using fresh, seasonal ingredients like those grown in his gardens. Two wines will be paired with dinner, in addition to sparkling Italian water. Also enjoy hands-on gardening and craft activities, live cooking demonstrations by Mario’s top chefs in the outdoor Whole Foods Market® Family Garden Kitchen, and more. Programming geared for kids ages 4 to 12.

Sunday, September 22

Perennial Garden Tour – 12:30 p.m.
Meet at the Reflecting Pool in the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Join a Garden Guide for a tour of the Jane Watson Irwin Perennial Garden, which combines a vast palette of colors, textures, flowers, and foliage to create interest in every season.

Native Plant Garden Tour – 2:30 p.m.
Meet at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Join a tour guide for an insider’s view of the newly designed Native Plant Garden. Enjoy a mosaic of nearly 100,000 native trees, wildflowers, ferns and grasses designed to flourish in every season.

Home Gardening Demonstration: Sultry Salvias
In the Home Gardening Center – 2 p.m.
Salvias are some of the unsung heroes in late-season displays. Join us and become familiar with some of the lesser-known, colorful flowers in the garden.

Ongoing Children’s Programs

The Haunted Pumpkin Garden
In the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden
September 21 – October 31; Tuesdays – Fridays 1 :30 – 5:30 p.m.;
Saturdays, Sundays, and Monday, October 14, 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Experience the thrills and chills of the season with a garden full of intricately carved pumpkin sculptures, bugs, and bats. On October 19 & 20, watch Master Carvers Ray Villafane and Andy Bergholtz of Food Network fame transform humongous pumpkins into unearthly creatures. It’s so much fun, it’s scary!

Pumpkin sculptures of spooky scarecrows, frightening spiders, sneaky snakes, and more await discovery at every turn in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden. The display includes more than 500 intricately carved pumpkins that are sure to capture your youngster’s imagination. Every day kids can play inside a “gourd- geous” Pumpkin House, put on a scary show at the Pumpkin Puppet Theater, look for wiggly worms under a rotting log, and join a Halloween Parade, while each weekend offers even more treats.

Cooking Demonstrations
In the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden, at the Whole Foods Market® Family Garden Kitchen
May 11 – October 11, 2013: Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays: 2 & 4 p.m.
From late spring into early fall, learn to cook up flavorful new recipes using garden-fresh ingredients, twice a day on Wednesdays and weekends in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden.

Pollinator Pals: Bees and Butterflies
In the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden
August 20 – October 11, 2013; 1:30 – 5:30 p.m.
The Family Garden is buzzing in late summer! Join us to learn about important pollinators: our honeybees and the monarch butterflies passing us by on their way to Mexico. Get buzzy doing the honeybee dance, observe up-close the workings of a beehive, and sample honey from different nectar sources. Meander through our meadow to find the beautiful monarchs’ favorite snack-spots for fueling up before their long flight. Plants and imaginations grow at the Family Garden, where kids are allowed–no, encouraged!–to play in the dirt. Display gardens such as the Global Gardens and the Breakfast Bowl, and daily activities delight and inspire.

This Weekend: Halloween Comes Early

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