The Summerland Ornamental Gardens has a pretty special weekend coming up, as they get ready to celebrate their 100th anniversary.
On July 16 and 17, the gardens is hosting 100 Seasons in the Sun to commemorate their milestone and they’re pulling out all the stops for the big event.
The Summerland Ornamental Gardens first opened 100 years ago, in 1916, partially as a way to help new settlers feel a little more like they had a piece of home with them here in Summerland.
As time passed, the gardens became less of a reminder of the old country and more of a monument of the landscape, plants and agricultural practices of the Okanagan. 100 Seasons in the Sun, the two day event that is being put on by the Friends of the Summerland Ornamental Gardens, is the perfect tribute to the history of the gardens.
Along with entertainment, food and activities, there will also be guided tours of the garden that are sure to be filled with interesting tidbits of information about this beautiful piece of Summerland.
The event starts at 10 and runs until 5 each day and is full of things for the whole family to enjoy. More information about the event can be found online at http://www.summerlandgardens.org/.
If you’re looking to do something a little different to help your creative side be a little more creative, then check out Summerland artist Tanya Graham’s Release the Canvas painting class on July 20 down at the Summerland Waterfront Resort. Co-hosted with Kelowna’s Judith Mueller, this class encourages participants to let go of what they think making art is all about and to share the job of creating with others.
The interesting thing about this class is that it’s not simply a class that teaches a particular technique or style, but it encourages painters to pull their inspiration from what others in the class have created.
Every few minutes, painters swap canvases and take over where the other person left off.
I’ve always loved collaborative creating like this, as it paves the way for some surprising results that are often so tight that you’d never know it had been worked on by more than one person.
It’s especially nice when there’s a moment when it seems like everyone is on the same page and people are creating some truly spectacular pieces of art.
I encourage anyone who’s interested in trying something new creatively to get out there and check this out.
More information can be found online at http://www.tanyagrahamart.com/art-classes.html .
Douglas Paton is a Summerland writer and musician. If you know of a local arts and culture event, contact him at dgpaton80@gmail.com.
