The stage is set for this year's Indian Summer Festival. Over the summer, Eagle Scout candidate Travis Droll and other members of Troop #305 erected an entertainment platform partially made of recycled materials on the Garden's Cawley property, reflecting two of the biggest changes in the 40-year-old fund-raiser.
In deciding to relocate the music, crafts, and food across East Lake Shore Drive to an open meadow, the Garden's Board and the festival's volunteer organizers moved to conserve the historic Garden. The recently acquired Cawley property is a large sunny space that encircles a pond and is bordered by trees. At the same time, festival planners have been exploring ways to demonstrate and promote wider protection of the environment by emphasizing use of recycled materials throughout the festival, encouraging natural crafts, and preparing to compost most of the waste.
The family-oriented activities are scheduled for the weekend of October 11-12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Single admission is $3, and admission for an entire family is $8.
One of the Garden's most popular events, the festival attracts several thousand visitors over two days, so the move will mean fewer feet trampling Garden plantings and more room and access for visitors and participants.
But the most exciting change in this year's festival is the effort to go green, a shift that will have an added benefit of providing lots of compost for next year for the Garden and perhaps for other local gardeners.
What won't change is the fun.
Emerald Underground will take the stage on Saturday. Andy Wiesenhofer, the "Cowboy Poet," will also perform. On Sunday, the River Ramblers and Bourbon Street Bluegrass will provide the entertainment. For the children therre will be magic shows and balloon sculpture provided by long time festival favorites "Twinkles” and “Lil” Spark.
And, as always, there will be lots of artisans on hand, showing and selling their products. Festival organizers are emphasizing traditional and nature-related crafts. A cooper has been added this year. He will make wooden buckets, churns, and similar items and may have a small inventory for sale. Also new this year is a woodburner, who will demonstrate his craft. Many other vendors will return, including those demonstrating spinning and weaving, needlework, woodwork, and beekeeping.
There will be plenty of activities for the young (and young at heart), too. In addition to the always popular pumpkin decorating, there will be turtle races, bean bag tosses, and face painting. Children will be able to make pine cone birdfeeders, leaf prints, wire sculptures, and kazoos. In keeping with the goal of greening the festival, all materials used in the children's crafts will be natural or recyclable.
Children and adults may want to plan time to take one of the nature hikes, which will be offered several times on both days, through the prairie or the forest, where the maples, dogwoods, and sumac will be on fall display.
After working up an appetite, festivalgoers might sample butterfly porkchop sandwiches, chili, golden caramel apples from Pease's Candy Shop, and baked goods from the Springfield Civic Garden Club's Country Cupboard, along with hot or cold cider.
Capitol Radio Group will run on-air promotions, including ticket give-away contests, on all of its five stations during the two weeks before the festival and will broadcast live from the Garden during the event.
While the stage is set for this year's Indian Summer Festival, there's still time to join the supporting cast. Become a sponsor, display a craft, or volunteer. And come for the fun.
Oh, and carpool if possible.
Green View, an expert in plants and landscaping, is proud to be a major sponsor of the upcoming Indian Summer Festival at Lincoln Memorial Garden. Make sure to stop by the Green View booth for special offers, giveaways and activities.
Visit Greenview online at http://www.greenview.com/
Party Creations has generously supplied tents for this year’s Indian Summer Festival. Visit Party Creations for all your party rental needs including tents, tables, chairs, china, linens, glassware, lights, and hundreds of other items.
Visit Party Creations online at http://www.partycreationsonline.com/
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