Festival of Trees, open house part of planned events
Media Contact: Laura Muntean, 979-847-9211, laura.muntean@ag.tamu.edu
COLLEGE STATION – The Leach Teaching Gardens at Texas A&M University will host a month-long celebration “Merry & Bright, Maroon & White at the Gardens,” beginning with a Nov. 30 kickoff.
Boasting 21 themed garden rooms and 250-plus species and varieties of plants, flowers, trees and shrubs, The Gardens ultimately will include 40 acres with a variety of themed spaces. The 7-acre Leach Teaching Garden was the first section to be completed and offers welcoming spaces for teaching, research and outreach that will only be enhanced through each festive activity, according to coordinators.
“This will be our first season to do the lighting in the gardens,” said Joseph Johnson, manager of The Gardens at Texas A&M University. “Hopefully, we will start a new tradition of people coming out to the gardens during the holidays.”
The official holiday opening on Nov. 30 will debut with lights in the gardens and a Festival of Trees continuing throughout the month of December. With 11 fresh-cut lighted trees on display along the walkway, various student groups from campus will participate in a tree-decorating contest for the Festival of Trees.
The lights are sponsored by ABC Home & Commercial Services, and the trees are sponsored by the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Student Council and The Farm Patch in Bryan.
A Cookies & Cocoa open house will be held Dec. 9 from 6-9 p.m. within the gardens. Festivities will include the announcement of the Festival of Trees winners, including a People’s Choice award voted on by open house attendees.
“We plan to build on this every year, especially for those people who are still in town during the holidays,” Johnson said.
All events are free and open to the public. For visitor parking information, visit http://bit.ly/gardensparking.
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