February 27, 2017
For Immediate Release
Contact: Natalie Eggeman (260-427-6028)
Public Information Officer
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Butterfly Volunteers Needed at Conservatory
Training in March to help April-June
Do you enjoy butterflies? As the Conservatory prepares for its 15th year of live butterflies, the staff is looking for volunteers to assist in monitoring the entrance and exit vestibules of the new exhibit. Butterfly Attendants assist visitors with exhibit protocols and in preventing butterfly escapes, while helping to make the guests’ experience positive.
Volunteers can choose among 2- or 3-hour shifts Tuesdays through Sundays. Training is required; multiple class dates are available. Register for training with volunteer supervisor Rebecca Canales by calling (260) 427-6442 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
$1 Nights
First Thursday of the month
March 2, 5 – 8 pm
The Conservatory is open on the first Thursday night of the month for a discounted admission of just $1 per person. During each $1 Night you can also drop in to our program room for a fun and educational lecture or activity. No reservations required. We validate parking tickets from the Civic Center Parking Garage for free parking. For more information, call (260) 427-6440.
$1 Night Insight: Butterfly Soap
March 2, 6 -7 pm
Stop by the activity room to mold a “butterfly” soap to take home! We will be dying, decorating, and molding fluffy soap into butterfly shapes. You can model your soap after pictures of the butterflies in our exhibit or just be creative. We will also have information on butterfly gardening for you to take home. Program included in $1 admission fee; no reservations required. For more information, call (260) 427-6440.
Art Display: Fort Wayne Photographers Club
March – April
Reception: Sunday, March 5, 1 – 3 pm
Get to know local and regional artists in a variety of media through the Botanical Conservatory’s bi-monthly art exhibits. In March and April, the Conservatory will feature a collection of prints from the Fort Wayne Photographers Club. The Club is over 70 years old and features photographers of all skill levels who seek to advance the art of photography. Come check out the variety of talent we have right here in our city! Exhibit and reception are included in regular Conservatory admission: $5/adult, $3/child age 3-17. For more information, call (260) 427-6440.
Sugar Scrubs
Saturday, March 11, 1 – 2:15 pm
Spring is in the air—indoors at least! We’ll be making spring-inspired sugar scrubs to transport you to warmer times. You’ll make a lemon sugar scrub and green mint sugar scrub. Sugar scrubs are gentle exfoliants that make your skin look, feel, and smell wonderful. And, we’ll package them so that you can gift them to someone (or gift them to yourself!). You’ll also receive both recipes so that you can make them again at home anytime you wish. Ages 16+. Registration deadline: March 3. Fee: $12/public; $10/Conservatory member or volunteer. Location: Botanical Conservatory, 1100 S. Calhoun Street. To register, call (260) 427-6000.
Practically Perfect Poppins Party
Saturday, March 18, 10 am – 3 pm
Botanical Conservatory, 1100 S. Calhoun St.
Join us as we celebrate the world of Mary Poppins at our Practically Perfect Poppins Party! You can take part in activities, games, and crafts inspired by the characters and scenes from this popular family movie. Try your hand at chalk art or race the clock as you clean up the nursery. Make a kite or decorate an umbrella to take home. Enjoy the Mary Poppins exhibit, with Admiral Boom’s cannon, Uncle Albert’s jokes, the chimney sweeps’ brushes, and the carousel ponies. Tea and light refreshments will be served. Regular Conservatory admission fees apply: $5/adult, $3/child age 3-17, free for children ages 2 and under. For more information, call (260) 427-6440. Sponsored by WAJI Majic 95.1.
Painted Lady Hatch & Release
Saturday, March 25, 11am – 1pm
Botanical Conservatory, 1100 S. Calhoun St.
Visit the Botanical Conservatory’s Home & Garden Show booth March 2 – 5 to learn more about butterfly gardening and participate in our public “Hatch & Release” program in late March! The beauty of butterflies isn’t instant; the lifecycle is a process of four stages: egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and butterfly. Purchase a Painted Lady caterpillar and hatching kit, then build and decorate your own caterpillar hatchery. Once your caterpillar changes into a butterfly, you can celebrate its flight by releasing it into the Conservatory’s Tropical Garden. If you miss the Home Show, kits can be purchased at the Conservatory Gift Shop starting in March. For more information, call (260) 427-6440.
Discovery Corner: Wind
Daily in the Discovery Gallery throughout March
Our youngest visitors are always welcome to visit the Discovery Corner behind Woody the Talking Tree where they’ll find stories and activities relating to a monthly theme. In March, we’ll focus on wind, how to “see” it and what it does. Adults can read aloud to their young learners and encourage their children as they explore ideas together. Our materials are all safe and suitable for kids in pre-K through 1st grade. The Discovery Corner is free with general admission; preregistration is not required.
“A Mary Poppins Garden Party” garden exhibit
Through April 2
When there’s a bit of heavy weather brewin’ outdoors this winter, bring the children down to the Conservatory to explore the new Mary Poppins- themed garden exhibit. Jane and Michael Banks seemed always to be in trouble. But after their new nanny arrived (in a most curious way, mind you), nothing was the same. Their time in the nursery and out for adventures taught both self-discipline and wonder. Discover Mr. Banks’ world of finance, Admiral Boom’s punctuality and nose for weather, a chimneysweep’s rooftop
perspective, and the magical imaginings of Bert’s chalk drawings and carousel horse steeplechase. Decorated with winter-blooming cyclamen, primroses, and pocketbook plant, the gardens offer grown-ups a breath of spring while they explore alongside their youngsters. Can you say
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious? Sponsored by WLDE and Majic 95.1FM. Regular admission applies. For more information, call (260) 427-6440 or visit www.botanicalconservatory.org.
