The Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park in Big Stone Gap, VA honors the coming of Spring and Virginia Garden Week with a day-long event, “A Celebration of Spring,” Saturday, April 24, from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. A series of workshops and seminars on a variety of garden themes are planned, as well as a dedication ceremony for the museum’s new Victorian Garden.
The activities kick off at 9:00 AM with a workshop on Heirloom Herb Gardening. Bob Horne leads this one-hour workshop in which participants will learn about heirloom herb varieties. An avid gardener and member of several Garden Clubs, Bob will discuss the care and cultivation of heirloom herbs and the use of organic methods to help your garden thrive. Participants will take home an heirloom herb seedling to help get their own gardens started. The fee for this workshop is $10.00 per person, which includes all materials.
At 10:30 AM, join Lee Cobb for a free seminar on planting a bee and butterfly garden. Lee, a trained horticulturalist, will talk about soil preparation and the correct flowers and other plants to use in a garden to attract butterflies and bees. Building on this information, at 11:00 AM, Leon Gamble will discuss the fundamentals of beekeeping in another free seminar. Leon has been keeping bees for several years and will bring a demonstration hive and other materials used by beekeepers to care for their hives. These seminars are open to the public and pre-registration is not required.
From 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM, Dawn and Roger Bays will lead a Cooking with Herbs workshop. Dawn and Roger are avid cooks who have participated in a number of specialty cooking seminars. They will teach participants how to make a salt substitute as well as other delicious dishes using herbs. This class has a $12.00 fee, which includes lunch that participants will prepare themselves using skills learned in the workshop. Space is limited to 10 participants, so early registration is a must!
At 1:00 PM, visitors can join a ranger for a short walking tour of the museum grounds and be among the first to see the newly-planted trees provided by the Odwalla Foundation. The festivities continue at 1:30 PM with the dedication of the museum’s new Victorian Garden. The garden, planted in memory of Mrs. Saroj Shiv Navani, was made possible by a generous donation to the Friends of the Southwest Virginia Museum by her husband, Dr. Shiv Navani. The dedication ceremony will feature special music and readings, a ribbon-cutting, and refreshments provided by the Friends of the Southwest Virginia Museum.
Rounding out the day’s activities will be a Flower Arranging workshop led by Betty Fleenor. Betty is the president of the Dogwood Garden Club of Big Stone Gap, VA and has been growing and arranging flowers for many years. In addition to teaching participants the basic of creating beautiful floral arrangements, Betty will also display a number of floral designs for everyone to enjoy. This free class will run from 2:30 to 3:30 PM. Although there is no fee for this class, space is limited to 20 participants, so pre-registration is required.
The registration deadline for all workshops is Friday, April 16. Space is limited in all classes, so be sure to register early. For additional information, or to sign up for a workshop, please call the Southwest Virginia Museum at 276-523-1322.
