This Weekend: A Poetry Reading & Memorial Day Family Fun
Posted in Programs and Events on May 23 2014, by Lansing Moore
Happy Friday! It’s a particularly happy one because it’s almost Memorial Day. That means we have three days of exciting activities for all ages lined up to help you celebrate the official beginning of summer at the Garden with a well-deserved long weekend.
This weekend is the time to revel in the lyricism of past masters with this Saturday’s Groundbreakers Poetry Reading, an enlightening journey to a past century through the words of Edna St. Vincent Millay—words you can also see adorning the grounds in our Groundbreakers Poetry Walk. None other than renowned feminist poet Eavan Boland will be in attendance to recite these classic poems. Meanwhile, the little ones can celebrate Memorial Day with the uplifting music of John Philip Sousa and make some tunes of their own during SousaKazooza! It’s just one of a whole roster of new family programs we have lined up for summer—and it all begins this weekend at the Garden!
Click through for more details on all the ways you can enjoy the world of Groundbreakers, and explore a glittering era of America’s past this Memorial Day Weekend.
Saturday, May 24
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.
Film Screening: Yours for a Song: The Women of Tin Pan Alley – 11 a.m.
In the Ross Hall
Many popular music standards of the Tin Pan Alley era (1920–49) were written by women, including Dorothy Fields, Kay Swift, Dana Suesse, and Ann Ronell, who were among the most influential songwriters of the time. This PBS documentary includes archival footage, motion picture clips, and rarely seen photographs, as well as performance clips of Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Perry Como.
Family Adventures: SousaKazooza! – 12–4 p.m.
In the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden
Kids learn about John Philip Sousa and two of America’s distinct instruments, the sousaphone and kazoo. Participants make bandleader hats and receive a kazoo with which to march around. On Labor Day, September 1, participants are encouraged to come back and take part in a performance in the Ross Hall, for families and friends!
Ongoing craft, 12-4 p.m.
Presentations with parades, 12, 1, 2, & 3 p.m.
Azalea Garden Tour – 12:30 p.m.
Meet at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Join us for a guided tour of the 11-acre site that offers an encyclopedic collection of the world’s azaleas planted along a broad hillside punctuated by rock outcrops and shaded by mature native trees.
Poetry for Every Season: Groundbreakers Poetry Reading–1 p.m.
In the Ross Hall
Prominent feminist poet Eavan Boland reads works by Edna St. Vincent Millay, and discusses their meaning and historical context at a special reading. Advance tickets recommended.
Irish by birth, Eavan Boland published her first collection—1962’s 23 Poems—when she was just 18. Boland’s early work is informed by her experiences as a young wife and mother, and her growing awareness of the troubled role of women in Ireland’s history and culture, an influence that contributed to her emergence as one of the foremost female voices in Irish literature. Best known for subverting traditional constructions of womanhood and offering fresh perspectives on Irish history and mythology, she has earned international recognition over the course of seven published volumes of poetry, traveling the U.S. and Ireland as a poet, anthologist, and teaching scholar.
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.
From Ragtime to Jazz: The Roots of Pop–3:30 p.m.
In the Ross Hall
Music from the period of Groundbreakers—ragtime, jazz, Broadway, and beyond to Hollywood—had a great impact on American culture. Enjoy a variety of styles in live performances by a trio of artists, including musical producer, pianist, and historian Terry Waldo, featuring the works of Scott Joplin, Eubie Blake, Irving Berlin, and Tin Pan Alley composers such as George Gershwin, George M. Cohan, and Dorothy Fields.
About the Artist
Terry Waldo is a virtuoso ragtime, stride, and blues pianist, as well as a vocalist and composer. The protégé of the legendary Eubie Blake, he has produced over 50 albums while performing throughout the world, and is currently teaching courses on early jazz and ragtime piano for Jazz at Lincoln Center. His book, This is Ragtime, is now available with a new introduction by Wynton Marsalis. He regularly performs in New York at several prestigious venues.
Sunday, May 25
Family Adventures: SousaKazooza! – 12–4 p.m.
In the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden
Kids learn about John Philip Sousa and two of America’s distinct instruments, the sousaphone and kazoo. Participants make bandleader hats and receive a kazoo with which to march around. On Labor Day, September 1, participants are encouraged to come back and take part in a performance in the Ross Hall, for families and friends!
Ongoing craft, 12-4 p.m.
Presentations with parades, 12, 1, 2, & 3 p.m.
Azalea Garden Tour – 12:30 p.m.
Meet at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Join us for a guided tour of the 11-acre site that offers an encyclopedic collection of the world’s azaleas planted along a broad hillside punctuated by rock outcrops and shaded by mature native trees.
From Ragtime to Jazz: The Roots of Pop – 1 & 3:30 p.m.
In the Ross Hall
Music from the period of Groundbreakers—ragtime, jazz, Broadway, and beyond to Hollywood—had a great impact on American culture. Enjoy a variety of styles in live performances by a trio of artists, including musical producer, pianist, and historian Terry Waldo, featuring the works of Scott Joplin, Eubie Blake, Irving Berlin, and Tin Pan Alley composers such as George Gershwin, George M. Cohan, and Dorothy Fields.
About the Artist
Terry Waldo is a virtuoso ragtime, stride, and blues pianist, as well as a vocalist and composer. The protégé of the legendary Eubie Blake, he has produced over 50 albums while performing throughout the world, and is currently teaching courses on early jazz and ragtime piano for Jazz at Lincoln Center. His book, This is Ragtime, is now available with a new introduction by Wynton Marsalis. He regularly performs in New York at several prestigious venues.
Film Screening: Yours for a Song: The Women of Tin Pan Alley – 2 p.m.
In the Ross Hall
Many popular music standards of the Tin Pan Alley era (1920–49) were written by women, including Dorothy Fields, Kay Swift, Dana Suesse, and Ann Ronell, who were among the most influential songwriters of the time. This PBS documentary includes archival footage, motion picture clips, and rarely seen photographs, as well as performance clips of Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Perry Como.
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.
Monday, May 26
Family Adventures: SousaKazooza! – 12–4 p.m.
In the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden
Kids learn about John Philip Sousa and two of America’s distinct instruments, the sousaphone and kazoo. Participants make bandleader hats and receive a kazoo with which to march around. On Labor Day, September 1, participants are encouraged to come back and take part in a performance in the Ross Hall, for families and friends!
Ongoing craft, 12-4 p.m.
Presentations with parades, 12, 1, 2, & 3 p.m.
Azalea Garden Tour – 12:30 p.m.
Meet at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Join us for a guided tour of the 11-acre site that offers an encyclopedic collection of the world’s azaleas planted along a broad hillside punctuated by rock outcrops and shaded by mature native trees.
From Ragtime to Jazz: The Roots of Pop – 1 & 3:30 p.m.
In the Ross Hall
Music from the period of Groundbreakers—ragtime, jazz, Broadway, and beyond to Hollywood—had a great impact on American culture. Enjoy a variety of styles in live performances by a trio of artists, including musical producer, pianist, and historian Terry Waldo, featuring the works of Scott Joplin, Eubie Blake, Irving Berlin, and Tin Pan Alley composers such as George Gershwin, George M. Cohan, and Dorothy Fields.
About the Artist
Terry Waldo is a virtuoso ragtime, stride, and blues pianist, as well as a vocalist and composer. The protégé of the legendary Eubie Blake, he has produced over 50 albums while performing throughout the world, and is currently teaching courses on early jazz and ragtime piano for Jazz at Lincoln Center. His book, This is Ragtime, is now available with a new introduction by Wynton Marsalis. He regularly performs in New York at several prestigious venues.
Film Screening: Yours for a Song: The Women of Tin Pan Alley – 2 p.m.
In the Ross Hall
Many popular music standards of the Tin Pan Alley era (1920–49) were written by women, including Dorothy Fields, Kay Swift, Dana Suesse, and Ann Ronell, who were among the most influential songwriters of the time. This PBS documentary includes archival footage, motion picture clips, and rarely seen photographs, as well as performance clips of Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Perry Como.
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.
Ongoing Children’s Programs
Family Adventures: Focusing on Nature 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
In the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden
Children will explore the art of garden photography and will even have the opportunity to become garden photographers themselves. Through a series of stops within the Garden, they will see the world through a new lens as they learn how observations in science and nature have been recorded throughout time. They will also receive tips about perspective, scale, and framing when taking photographs.
Dig, Plant, Grow: Salad Days — 1:30–5:30 p.m.
In the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden
The ”salad days” of the Garden year are here! The finale of spring is a bonanza of ripe roots, succulent stems, glorious greens, and a kaleidoscope of colorful—and edible—flowers. Use real plants and flowers to decorate a salad bowl collage. Learn tips on how to combine this array of plant parts into an assortment of salads and prepare a healthy dressing to take home.
Mario Batali’s Kitchen Gardens – 1:30 – 6 p.m.
Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden
Kids can explore with Mario’s Menu Mystery game, featuring favorite vegetables and herbs from nine of his restaurants’ kitchens, including Otto and Del Posto.
