On Sunday, October 5, the Ventura Botanical Gardens (VBG) annual “Grow Your Garden” fundraiser brunch was held in Grant Park.
The nearly 500 guests who attended the brunch, prepared by Seasons Catering, were given the option of either hiking the trail up to the lunch area or riding shuttles from the City Hall parking lot up to the site.
The cooler weather and two large tents made for a comfortable event. Several speakers talked to the invited attendees and films were shown presenting inspirational photos and additional speakers.
Entertainer Hannah Davey started the day with her wonderful signing rendition of America the Beautiful.
She was followed by welcoming speeches by Beverly McCaslin, Founding member of the Gardens’ board of directors, Kevin Clerici, Executive Director of the Downtown Ventura Partners Improvement District and a member of the board, Gavin Garrety, an 8th grade student at DeAnza Academy of Technology & the Arts and Barbara Brown, founding partner of BBM&D Strategic Branding and a Charter Member of the VBG, who currently serves as its Vice President.
Barbara Brown stated, “We have much to do for the Gardens, from putting in water and plants to creating new buildings, to building our corps of volunteers. Support from our donors helps ensure that we can create a world class Gardens for Ventura County. To build a strong foundation for our programs and to provide a stable future for our Gardens, we have created a multi-year giving society we call the Perennial Society, our most committed supporters. If you have been inspired by what you have seen today, I ask you now to consider joining us this morning as a member of the Perennial Society.”
The motto of the Gardens’ is to create and maintain public gardens for the preservation, education, cultural contribution and enhancement of the entire community”. The Gardens are already accomplishing this mission as nearly 1,500 people per month now hike the trail.
The location of Ventura Botanical Gardens is Grant Park, in the foothills above City Hall, in downtown Ventura. The first trail, the Demonstration Trail, is complete. Almost a mile long and six feet wide, with a decomposed granite surface and hand‐built stone walls, the trailhead begins at the upper parking lot behind City Hall. Planting for the Chilean Gardens has begun. When completed, the Chilean Gardens will be the largest in the world, outside of Chile. Grant Park is open from dawn to dusk.
For more information, visit www.venturabotanicalgardens.com.
