Art In The Garden
How Columbia’s Annual Garden Tour Shares Neighbors’ Best Backyard Greenery & Local Talent Together
It will be a beautiful day in the neighborhood of Columbia, come Sunday, June 16. After a one-year hiatus, the Garden Tour officially returns. This year, the theme has an artistic flare, as “Art In the Gardens” is being coordinated by local non-profit organization, Create Columbia.
For those who aren’t familiar, the Garden Tour is when neighbors and friends open up their yards for community members to come and see what they’ve got growing. This year, art will be featured in the yards as well, making it a more in-depth and interactive experience.
“Create Columbia was formed to promote Columbia as a creative and vital community,” Frances FitzGerald, an Art in the Gardens committee member, explained. “Any and all proceeds from projects administered by Create Columbia go right back into other projects which benefit the creative community.”
With vibrant blooms bobbing in the breeze, magical fairy gardens and majestic koi ponds to boot, the tour features a variety of home gardens throughout the Columbia community. The 9 residential homes included on the tour were selected from community members’ suggestions. This ended in an eclectic mix of innovative row home gardens to park-like plots with pergolas. Also, incorporated on the tour route are the Gardens of Wright’s Ferry Mansion — which will include a special tour sharing the history of Susanna Wright’s horticultural interests.
The new artistic twist on the tour originated with Cleon “Cle” Garth Berntheizel, owner of Garth Gallery located in the heart of Columbia. Berntheizel suggested adding artists and musicians to the tour route to add an element of surprise and further cultivate the growing arts culture in Columbia. This year, at each residential property a local artist will paint a garden-inspired work en plein air using acrylics, oils, collage and more during the garden tour. Musicians, including blues guitarist—Bobby Gentilo, will be located throughout the tour as well to create a melodic backdrop.
The tour runs from 10AM-3PM starting at the Columbia Crossing Building located at 41 Walnut Street (Columbia River Park) where visitors can participate in a gardening activity and receive tour booklets to help them navigate the four mile tour spanning across the historic town. Kick of the summer right--throw on your best pair of sneakers, put on some sunscreen and enjoy the beauty of local nature during the “Art In The Gardens” tour.
Admission is $10 in advance or $12 on the event date. Tickets for the tour may be
purchased at Garth, Columbia Kettleworks, The Restaurant at Hinkles, Miss Alison’s
Arts and Yoga Studio, or Columbia Crossing. To purchase tickets using a credit card,
email your contact information to CreateColumbia@gmail.com.
By: Ally Rohland
