GazetteXtra | Rotary Botanical Gardens announces events to celebrate 25th year 4/17/14, 7:45 AM Safari Power Saver Click to Start Flash Plug-in Welcome!CHRISTINE !Your!Proﬁle !Sign!out WCLO !WJVL !Walworth!County!Today !EM Edition 42.5° Thursday,!April!17,!2014 News Sports Buy!&!Sell Opinion Entertainment Community Blogs Multimedia Services Jobs Safari Power Saver Click to Start Flash Plug-in Rotary Botanical Gardens announces events to celebrate 25th year 0 ! 0 ! 0 ! ! Comments ! Search... Safari Power Saver Click to Start Flash Plug-in ! Print SHELLY!BIRKELO April!16,!2014 JANESVILLE—Rotary Botanical Gardens has blossomed from an abandoned sand and gravel quarry into an awardwinning, 20-acre themed botanical garden during the past 25 years. “It is recognized locally and throughout the Midwest, but also nationally,” said Mary Fanning-Penny, executive director. The gardens, which have taken root along the 1400 block of http://www.gazettextra.com/article/20140416/ARTICLES/140419793/1059 Page 1 of 6 GazetteXtra | Rotary Botanical Gardens announces events to celebrate 25th year Palmer Drive, also have cultivated 100,000 4/17/14, 7:45 AM Safari Power Saver Click to Start Flash Plug-in visitors a year to create an annual local economic impact of $3.4 million. “It is an economic driver as well as the No. MARY!FANNINGMPENNY,!ROTARY!BOTANICAL GARDENS!EXECUTIVE!DIRECTOR Mary!FanningMPenny RELATED IF!YOU!GO Who:! Who:!Rotary Botanical!Gardens What:! What:!Free!25th anniversary admission!days 1 tourist destination in Rock County,” FanningPenny said. Instead of one event that might serve a small group of people, the gardens will spread the 25th anniversary celebration across its growing season and into fall and winter events, she said. In addition to free admission days on the 25th of each month from April through When:! When:!On!the!25th October, many existing events within the day!of!each!month annual roster will feature tie-ins to the April!through anniversary, Fanning-Penny said. October Hours:!8:30!a.m.!to Hours:! 6!p.m.!daily!during April!and!May;!8:30 a.m.!to!6!p.m. Sunday!through Thursday!and!8:30 a.m.!to!8!p.m.!Friday and!Saturday!during June,!July!and August. Where:!Rotary Where:! Botanical!Gardens, 1455!Palmer!Drive, For example, along with herbs, perennials, small trees, shrubs and bagged compost, this year's spring plant sale will feature 25 varieties of heirloom tomatoes, 25 varieties of hybrid tomatoes, and 25 varieties of bell and hot peppers. “Overall it will be the most expansive and substantial plant sale for spring,” said Mark Dwyer, the gardens' horticulture director. http://www.gazettextra.com/article/20140416/ARTICLES/140419793/1059 Trending!now Death!notice!for!April!17,!2014 Dr.!James!C.!Hamilton,!Clinton,!WI (1935M2014) Donald!Oliver!Webb,!Laughlin,!NV,!and Janesville,!WI!(1942M2014) Death!Notices!for!April!12,!2014 Francis!A.!"Pete"!Pietrowski, Janesville,!WI!(1921M2014) !Councilman!said!he!doesn't!have information!he!needs!to!vote!on!ﬁre station Most!read Most!commented News Whitewater!Police!Department searching!for!man!linked!to!car!breakM ins April!17,!2014 !Progress!seen!in Look!West!tour April!17,!2014 !Milton!hires!agency!to!market parcels April!16,!2014 !Janesville!event!oﬀers!poverty insight April!16,!2014 Page 2 of 6 GazetteXtra | Rotary Botanical Gardens announces events to celebrate 25th year Janesville. SIDEBAR:!25th anniversary event!roster In!addition!to!free admission!days,!on the!25th!day!of!each month!from!April through!October, these!events!are planned: 4/17/14, 7:45 AM Dwyer said the gardens' enhancement will continue throughout the year and will be highlighted by the new Thomas Jefferson and fun Cosmos collections. The Thomas Jefferson Collection will feature 100 varieties of historic vegetables, herbs and plants that Jefferson himself grew in a half-acre plot. The Cosmos Collection will boast 70 annual varieties, ranging from 1 to 7 feet tall in a variety of MM!Spring!and!fall colors planted side-by-side in a 1,000plant!sales— square-foot section. Saturdays!and Sundays,!May!10M11 Dwyer takes pride in being part of the and!Sept.!6M7. gardens, which have sprouted in a short MM!Symposia—The time to attain national attention and spring!event!already has!concluded.!The become a well-known site for weddings and fall!event!is receptions. Saturday,!Nov.!1. MM!Earth!Day— Saturday,!April!26 The hope is the gardens will continue to thrive and prosper, Fanning-Penny said. MM!Founder's!Dinner —Sunday,!June!8 “It is always challenging being selfsustaining," she said. "We are an individual MM!New "Incorporating Gardening!Into!a Therapy"!program— Tuesday,!June!17 501(3)c that receives no city, state or federal funding and heavily rely on our donors, admission and friends' memberships to help sustain us along with facilities rentals. MM!Home!Garden Tour—Saturday, July!12 MM!Garden!Gala— Saturday,!July!19 "The environment for funding and donor dollars is always challenging so we're always trying to identify creative ways to raise funds and grow appropriately at the gardens,” she added. MM!Chair!in!Our!25th The gardens' existing strategic plan runs Anniversary!Garden http://www.gazettextra.com/article/20140416/ARTICLES/140419793/1059 Page 3 of 6 GazetteXtra | Rotary Botanical Gardens announces events to celebrate 25th year Art!Project!and Auction—Sunday, Sept.!7 4/17/14, 7:45 AM through 2018. Board members and staff are honing in on a five-year plan, FanningPenny said. MM!Bridal!Expo:!“Love in!Bloom”!in “Now we're looking toward the future, conjunction!with shifting toward sustainability and planning Best!Events— for the unknown to ensure we're on strong Sunday,!Aug.!17 MM!Pancake breakfast!as!part!of Janesville's!Irish Fest—Sunday,!Oct. 5 financial footing,” she said. MM!Taste!of Chocolate— Saturday,!Nov.!22 MM!Holiday!Light Show—11!nights!in December. 0 ! 0 ! 0 ! ! Comments ! ! Print Attention:!New!All!Access!members!and!New!digital!only!subscribers.!Your subscription!plan!allows!you!to!write!and!post!comments,!however!it!may take!up!to!24!hours!to!go!into!eﬀect. 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