By Kayla Kibbons
The Monticello Sculpture Gardens Annual Festival gave guests the chance to have some fun and “Discover,” the beauty Lewis and Clark Community College’s Godfrey campus has to offer as a botanical garden. The theme for this year’s garden show was discover.
“We were really inspired by Lewis and Clark unveiling their new logo and rebranding and so we took that opportunity to reintroduce ourselves to the community as we decided to piggyback on that and call our gardens Discover and make sure we get our name out there, The Monticello Sculpture Garden,” said Katie Piper, horticulturist, and garden designer.
The Monticello Sculpture Gardens have held 11 garden shows and every year they do a festival to celebrate the end of the garden show and to wrap up summer.
The festival was held on Sept. 14, and for the second year in a row was open to the public.
The festival started with a reception including a speech, music, and drinks at The Grove. The hosts Ethan Braasch, manager of Sustainability and Campus Environment, President Dr. Ken Trzaska, and Piper all had their time on the mic. Each of them gave a heartwarming and sincere thank you to the donors and everyone involved with making The Garden Festival possible. The guests were then invited and encouraged to grab a map and explore the gardens.
“My favorite flower area would have to be the growing knowledge garden.” said Gavin Gott an LC student among those enjoying the festival.
As guests discovered the gardens, they could enjoy catered food and sit on the lawn while SoulShine jammed. Other activities and stands included Bunkhouse Joe’s Iced Coffee, corn-hole, free stems from Ruby’s Flower Truck, a caricature artist, a photo booth, and a craft table, each adding their own element to the event.
The Monticello Sculpture Gardens annual festival was a success as guests enjoyed the garden’s beauty and sculptures.
The festival also offered music, food, and activities for guests of all ages. The festival was a wonderful opportunity for the community and LC students to discover The Monticello Sculpture Gardens and the art and beauty that comes along with it.
To learn more about the Monticello Sculpture Gardens, please contact Katie Piper at kaepiper@lc.edu.
