Public Gala Scheduled On Flower Show Eve

Public gala scheduled

mar 20 1997 °

The University of Michigan’s Matthaei Botanical Gardens will unveil its eighth annual Ann Arbor Flower and Garden Show with a reception on the eve of the show, which runs from April 3 through 6.

That gala is scheduled for Wednesday, April 2, from 7:30-10 p.m. at the flower-show site, the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds, 5055 Ann Arbor-Saline Road.

Those attending the gala can mingle with friends and flower lovers amid the show landscape gardens, which include a Martha’s Vineyard seaside retreat, a

native American prairie, a sunny California terraced garden and over 500 exhibits rich in spring blooms.

University Catering will serve hor d’oeuvres, desserts and beverages, all reflecting American tastes, from the southwest and down on the farm to the northern Great Lakes and coastal vineyards.

Guests can dance to music by such local performers as Ragtime Charlie and Sister Kate or tap their feet to American jazz played by the Mike Grace Quartet and the Mike Grace Trio or hum along with gospel singers

on Flower

Aden Springsteen, Jacqueline Tumer-Robinson and Jennifer Kendall.

The events will include an auction. Six unique pieces will be marked, displayed and auctioned off.

There will be two Frank Lloyd Wright reproduction stained glass windows, an antique wrought iron garden bench, a neon sign from the show’s design exhibit, a Rosie’s Diner, and a trough garden as seen in the exhibit California Dreaming, donated by Richard Tuttle of Saguaro Plants.

Show eve

Immediately preceding the April 2 gala will be an intimate Director’s Preview. It starts at 5:30 p.m. that same day and will be attended by the directors, producers and designers of this year’s show.

Tickets to the gala are $50 in advance, $60 at the door.

To inquire about tickets to the Director’s Preview or to reserve tickets for the gala, call the Botanical Gardens at 998-7002 Monday-Friday from 8:30-5 p.m. or Saturday or Sunday from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.