 | Alex Lingg, Retired from 33 years as Manager of Sedgwick County Conservation District. She also has been Manager of Wichita Garden Show for 24 years. She has managed both the conservation district and the garden show at the same time for over 15 years, so collectively she has 57 years in her career repertoire. She is a child of God, a mother of four daughters, a grandmother of 13 grandkids and a great grandmother of one beautiful great grandchild. She believes that every day that she lives is an undeniable miracle, full of wonders and laughter. She believes that while life may not have turned out to be the party we thought it would be, while we're here we might as well dance. |
Wichita Garden Show
2010-02-01 08:42:00
Spring comes to Kansas in form of gardens
Question: What’s in store for this Spring Garden Show in Wichita?
Thank goodness for March and for the 43rd Wichita Garden Show which is the time when you put away the winter blues, forget the frosty winds and snow- especially, the long spells of chilling, arctic weather during the winter of 2009/10. It is the time to start planning your spring and summer yard and garden projects. The best place to do your planning and to celebrate Spring’s arrival is at the Wichita Garden Show when its doors open on March 3 thru March 7, 2010. The year’s annual theme is “Gardens of the World” which is a salute to the many ethnic neighborhoods that make up communities in Wichita and Kansas.
Look for five Great Gardens, two Mid Gardens, three small gardens and three Mini Gardens scattered throughout three halls. People from all over the USA (over 26 states were represented at the 2009 Show) come to bask in the sweet fragrances, uplifting sounds of water lightly splashing over boulders, birds in song and rainbow hues of color at this Springtime Wonderland. Thousands of blossoms and plants as well as clever landscaping ideas, including giant and small waterfalls, exquisite fountains and handsome sculptors create an enchanting springtime setting. Each garden illustrates some facet of the annual theme illustrating hundreds of landscaping ideas and abundant proof that gardens and yards give an endless array of gifts to the homeowner, i.e. beauty, color, fragrances, flowers for the home, wind protection, shade to cool the home, homes for birds and butterflies, wood for the fireplace, food for the table, a place to play, relax and entertain and much more
In the Education Area, Master Gardeners and KSU Research and Extension Agents and other experts will hosts hourly “How To” seminars and answer every question you have about gardening and yard with no pressure to buy products. Over 195 commercial and garden craft displays offer the latest and hottest garden products to choose from plus an excellent opportunity to compare products and prices. This is the place to learn how to do it or who can do it for you.
The 2010 Wichita Garden Show offers proof that there is no better place to play, than in the garden, with public participation fun activities throughout the Show. Scholfield Honda brings a chance to win the “Ultimate Gardening Tool”- a luxury 4WD Touring Pilot SUV in the Great Gardens. Check your program at the door for a Scholfield Honda’s Generation Green sticker which is your ticket to try your luck at winning this awesome gardening tool.
Opening night, March 3, finds Paul James, HGTV’s “The Gardener Guy” right in the middle of the gardens, meeting and greeting people from 5:00-6:00 PM. At 6:30 is “Questions for the Gardener Guy” and hear about Paul’s book he is writing. Come early; avoid concert traffic; park at Lawrence Dumont early and get good spots; ride the free shuttle to Century II. Walk over to the new arena for the concert at 7:30 PM if you have tickets. Ride the Q Bus back to Lawrence Dumont when it is over.
Thursday Night, March 4, is LADIES NIGHT with a Treasure Hunt, Decorated Garden Hat Contest, reduced gate to ladies wearing a decorated garden hat and fun entertainment and displays, just for the ladies, all evening long. Prizes are shopping sprees at Ladies Night Sponsor, Tree Top Nursery & Landscaping, Wichita.
Friday, March 5, is FAMILY NIGHT Fun activities include: 1) Paint Two Faces Contest – an adult paints the child’s face like something you find in the garden and then the child paints the adult’s face; 2) Decorate Your Wheels Contests and Parade which include tricycles, bicycles, strollers, wheel barrels, wagons, scooters and wheelchairs; and 3) A Children Talent Contest –“So, you think your kids has talent”. Sponsors include Johnson’s Legacy Landscapes and KFDI Radio, Wichita. Great prizes for each contest.
If art is your thing, Saturday, March 6th, is Artists Day with an Alla Prima Art Contest and nationally known artist, Mary Binford Miller, painting a portrait of Wichita’s Mayor Carl Brewer (while Mayor Brewer poses) in the gardens. In the Alla Prima Art Contest, Kansas artists select a focal point in the gardens or anywhere at the Show. They then set up their easels and paint from 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM. Alla Prima Art is jurored at 2:00 PM and prizes given. The Artist Garden includes illusions of flowers and plants in fine art, needle art and quilted wall hangings and for the 1st time at the 2010, fine art lovers will be allowed to vote for their favorite piece of art in the “Visions of Flowers” Art Exhibition. Helen C. Veath, the well-known Wichita artist who painted the fine art used for the Show poster, will be signing posters form 1:00 to 2:00 PM in the gardens. Saturday is Entercom Radio Day with a GRILL ASSEMBLY Contest, A Crazy/Wacky, Prettiest and Best Functional Birdhouse Contest (prizes sponsored by Associated Lumber & Supply, Inc, Wichita and Neodesha, Ks), men and women will dig in the soil to find the lucky key to start the Dixon Speed ZTR30 Riding Mower (provided by Wichita Area Dixon Dealers). The lucky one finding the key that starts the mower, takes the mower home. Be sure to register at the gate for your chance to dig. Sunday is KFDI Radio Day with a real Hillbilly Golf Tournament with two Traeger Handcrafted Junior Pellet Grills as prizes for both members of the winning team (provided by Maximum Outdoor Equipment & Services, Wichita). It’s a team effort so grab your buddy and get to playing Hillbilly Golf. To illustrate and celebrate the vast array of ethnic cultures in Wichita and Kansas, multi-cultural entertainment and dance will be sandwiched in between the activities in the gardens. Check www.wichitagardenshow.com for entertainment schedules including: Celtic harp, Caledonian Pipe and Drum Band, Asian Fan Dancers, Dances, Hispanic Bands, Flamenco and Gypsy Dancers and more. Don’t miss the Aloha From Kansas Elvis Tribute Band featuring Marshall Matthews on Sunday afternoon.
The Wichita Garden Show is proud to be sponsored in part by KWCH 12, Today’s KFDI FM 101.3 and AM 1070 The Ranch. KWCH TV AND KFDI personalities will be on hand throughout the Show as Emcees and Hosts. There is something for everyone at the Wichita Garden Show. Even if you don’t have a yard, you can soak up a lot of SPRING strolling through Century II, Downtown, Wichita. Plan to stay at least 4 hours, enjoying this unique blend of beauty, education, product comparison and just plain fun. Bring a notebook and your camera to record landscaping and product ideas and helpful hints to make your outdoor living space awesome and user-friendly. Ride the green shuttles from Lawrence Dumont Stadium. THERE IS SO MUCH TO DO AND SEE THIS YEAR YOU WILL WANT TO BUY A MILTI-DAY PASS SO YOU CAN SEE AND DO IT ALL. Additional information: www.wichitagardenshow.com OR 360wichita.com.
