Snyder Park Gardens & Arboretum Jubilee set for Aug. 7
The first Saturday in August is the day we, Ohio State University Extension Clark County and the Master Gardener Volunteers, set aside to celebrate our gardens and to give back to the community through the Snyder Park Gardens & Arboretum Jubilee. Next Saturday, Aug. 7, we will be doing just this.
In addition to celebrating our gardens, we are hosting the grand opening of SPGA. We were planning on a grand opening in 2020, but, of course, things got in the way. This year we are not only celebrating the grand opening, but we are also dedicating the brand new Wingert-Tossey Pavilion.
SPGA is a brand-new public garden with free admission and open daily from sunrise to sunset. Individual gardens are designed, planted and maintained by the MGVs of Clark County.
SPGA features a variety of themed gardens including the Early Ohio Settler’s Garden, Garden of Eatin’, the Kiwanis Children’s Garden, the Victory Garden (more than 6,000 pounds of produce grown for the local food bank), an Ohio State University Cultivar Trial and turf research plot, and perennial and shrub displays, including a hydrangea display.
The newest garden, the Springfield Foundation Feature Garden will be completed after the event. We had hoped to have this done before the jubilee, but again, things got in the way. We now have accessible sidewalks to the Wingert-Tossey Pavilion and the start of a beautiful yearround garden with lots of plants.
The grand opening is at 9 a.m., and immediately after the opening the Wingert-Tossey Pavilion will be dedicated. Both Wingert and Tossey families are from Springfield, and the Wingerts gave a significant financial donation to name the pavilion in honor of their families.
This event is free and includes speakers on a variety of topics in the clubhouse throughout the day. There will be assorted vendors on hand featuring wood creations, glass ornaments, jewelry, crafts, garden décor and more, as well as non-profit organizations such as DARE, Clark County Solid Waste Management District, the Clark County Health Department and others.
We invite you to join us during the day and stroll through the gardens and learn more about each one and the plants in the gardens. If you visit at least five gardens and get your ticket checked, you will be entered into a drawing for a door prize.
We have great music planned for all day, including Amber Hargett from Dayton and Ty Cooper from Springfield. In addition, the Ohio Plein Air Society members will be on hand capturing the beauty of the gardens and visitors in their paintings. I love to watch them paint; something that I can’t do at all whatsoever no matter what.
There will be several food trucks on site during the day and include Cinnabon, Diamond Gods and Lola’s Mexican Restaurant. There will be water at each of the gardens while supplies last.
Please come and join us in this special event. We absolutely love showing off our gardens to the public and hope that you will visit often.
SPGA is located at 1900 Park Street in Springfield.